


The Princess Lignum

by TangledHeartStrings7707



Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Fiction - Fandom, General fiction - Fandom, Historical Fiction, Romance - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Jamaica, Magic, Mermaids, Pirates, Romance, Sedna - Freeform, Slavery, Witch - Freeform, Witchcraft, black magic, caribbean, mermaid, pirate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 16:01:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14751947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TangledHeartStrings7707/pseuds/TangledHeartStrings7707
Summary: Recommended for audience 18 +Cora is lost in the Caribbean. She journeyed with her father Captain Ashton from London to start a new life on a sugar plantation in Barbados. On the voyage they encountered a massive hurricane that destroyed everything in its path. Cora was the only survivor. Trying to find her way in the Caribbean, she is found by a devilishly handsome pirate Captain and his crew. Cora must learn the secrets of  the magical blood that pulses through her veins. Those secrets will lead her to her true destiny;  within the sea, and within her heart.





	1. 1

I awoke to the heavy feel of damp air in my lungs. The steady rocking of the ship to which I had fallen asleep to was replaced with loud creaking and thrashing sounds. I pulled myself out of the cot in my small cabin and was instantly thrown into the wall with unrelenting force. I hit my head pretty hard, putting my hand up to my left ear I felt a warm fluid against my fingers. I brought my hand in front of my eyes to see blood. The ship was still being thrashed around, we must have come into contact with a storm. 

I had to get out of this room to help the crew and passengers, and I needed to find my Father. I pulled the door open and fell into the hallway which was already filled with a few inched of water. I grabbed a hold to anything I could grasp onto keep myself upright enough to get towards the stairs to the deck. There was a little waterfall streaming down the stairs from the opening above. I pulled myself up on deck to a sight that had me truly terrified. I held onto the railing of the stairs with all the strength I had. The waves around us must have been nearly 20 feet high, the rain was pouring down in buckets and men were flying all over the ship just trying to hang on for dear life.

I had been on the sea many times before, and had seen my fair share of storms, but this was by far the biggest I had ever experienced. There was no way that we could make it out of this alive.

I started to hear something from my left, someone was screaming but the crashing of the waves was so loud that I couldn't make out what they were saying. I looked as hard as I could through the rain and saw that it was my father calling to me.

 

I started to call out to him, "Father! Father!", but it was useless. He couldn't hear me, and I couldn't hear him. This was the end, we would both die here today. All I could do was pray to God that I would soon be reunited with my Father and the Mother I never knew in the afterlife.

\--------------------------------------------------

 

"Cora! Coraline, are you home girl?"

I was woken from my afternoon nap with a start. Father was calling after me, he sounded more excited than usual. I straightened my back and sat up on the couch that I had been dozing on. I stretched my arms up to the sky and heard a "thunk" as the book I had been reading fell to the floor.

"Cora?", I heard my father call up again.

I cleared my throat and called towards the door, "I'll be down shortly Father."

I picked up the fallen book and straightened out my skirts before I headed into my Father's study down the hall. The door was open, I knocked on the banister lightly as I walked in, letting him know of my presence. He was pacing back and forth closely reading a document in his hands. I could tell he was excited, he only ever acted this way when something good had happened.

He caught a glance at me and stopped in his tracks, a smile lit up his face, "Cora, I have the most wonderful news!"

He motioned for me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his large oak desk. I took a seat while he went to stand behind the desk, already filled with stacks of papers.

I was getting anxious and wanted to know what he was so happy about, "What is your news father?"

He handed me the paper in his hands, "I have acquired us land in Barbados, we sail in a fortnight."

The paper he handed me was a small map of the islands in the Caribbean. I had heard stories of the years my Father had spent in the Royal Navy in Port Royal. I was born there, my mother was killed in a large earthquake that sunk the entire city. Father brought me to England and raised me by himself. My father was given a Royal Pardon from the Navy and he started working as a sea Captain for hire. Men would hire him for private voyages, mainly from London to Egypt. He was well known for his sailing skills, Captain Oliver Phineas Ashton

I was lucky enough to join him on a few of these journeys. I loved being on the ocean, I was always drawn towards the sea. My Father was the same, the sea was his home. That was why he named me Coraline, meaning the coral from the sea. All my life my father had told be stories of Jamaica and his life there. He said the seas were magical, as if it was its own powerful force, a living thing. I knew he had a life with my Mother there, but he never told me anything about her. I didn't even know her name or what she looked like.

"Cora, isn't this great? I finally get to return! I can't wait for you to see the islands, its nothing like the foreign lands you have seen before.", my Father's icy crystal blue eyes were glowing with joy.

I couldn't help but return his enthusiasm with a large grin on my face. But it was genuine, I was instantly dreaming of the islands, I had been born there after all. It felt right.

"I am so happy too Father!", I stood up and went around the desk to him.

He took my hands and looked into my eyes, finally showing a little bit of concern for the situation, "Coraline, I know this is going to be a big change. It will be like nothing you have ever seen before. You have seen African slaves before, but here we will be outnumbered by them. The slave trade has boomed over there. And we will have to own slaves to run our plantation. Do you understand?"

Fear started to cloud over mind. I had always hated the thought of slavery, threating human beings like cattle. My Father was extremely against it too, he seemed to really have a soft spot in his heart for the situation. I knew he must had encountered a lot of African slaves in Jamaica while he was there. My Father always had a kind and accepting heart, a trait I knew he had passed down to me.

I gasped and replied, "B-but w-w-we can't own slaves Father! That is just barbaric! How could you event think of such a life as owning slaves?", I squeezed his hands tighter, "Owning human beings Father!"

He took a deep breath and began to explain, "I know. That is why we are going to be different from all the other masters out there. We will pay our workers and treat them fairly. We will help them build lives of their own for the families. But we have to be careful, Cora. No one can know what we are doing to help them, we could be severely punished, do you understand?"

My eyes started to tear up. I was so proud of my Father, he was such a brave man. I put my head on his chest and he pulled me in for a hug. His love for me was another selfless act on his part. My Father always loved me and accepted me for who I was. He never pressured me to get married or try to sell me off to the highest bidder. Many men had come to him asking for my hand, he always let me make my own decisions for the course of my life.

I had declined every marriage proposal that I had received so far. None of the men wanted me for me, none of them even knew me at all. All they wanted was my _unique beauty_ , or that's what my governess called it anyways. I definitely looked different than most women, but I don't know if I would call it beauty.

My skin was a warm pale color with a hint of pink, a shade that I had never seen on any other human before. My eyes were the same as my father, ice crystal blue. My face and my hair were the most different features, none that I could compare to anyone I had encountered before. My face was set wide, with an angular jaw and a wide flat nose. My skin was clear and smooth, but my lips were a dark brown color, creating a big contrast with my pale pink skin. My hair was a white blonde, like my fathers, but had a texture all of its own. My thick hair and tight ringlets were a disaster to tame and took hours to properly prepare. My body was more rounded out than most women my age, I didn't carry any extra weight, but I had naturally rounded hips that my governess said was a husband-catcher.

I was lucky that my father was so understanding with my decision to stay single. He always encouraged me to wait for love, he said that's what he had with my mother. Their time was short, and he never accepted any other women into his life. He was my best friend and I knew that as long as we had each other that we would be okay.


	2. 2

The soft sound of waves was lapping in the distance. Was I near the ocean? My mouth felt dry and I was having trouble breathing through my nose. I inhaled and immediately coughed out a large amount of salt water and sand. I was finally coming back to. I was laying face down on a beach of white sand. I pushed myself up and coughed up any remaining sea water that I could get out of my lungs. I was sore in places I didn't know I could feel pain, my clothing was torn to shreds, and I was missing one of my boots.

I looked around and saw no one. I realized that my father must be dead, no one could have survived that storm. How was I still alive? Where could I possibly be? I slowly stood up and dragged myself into the cover of the trees behind the white sand. The sun was beating down, the cover of the tropical leaves created a more relaxing environment.

I licked my lips and felt how dry they had become. I desperately needed to get some water, and fast. I knew my hair had to be a giant tangled mess. I tried to comb my fingers through the knots, but that didn't get me anywhere. I gave up and pulled my hair back, tying it in a tangled knot with a scrap of cloth from my torn skirts. I pulled off my remaining boot and pulled the laces out, it might come in handy soon.

I stood up and decided to head into the jungle to look for fresh water, and possible inhabitants on the island. After what must have been about and hour walking forward, I came to another sand beach. I looked to my right then to my left, I could see how the island curved around, proving that this particular island was quite small. Definitely not large enough to house human life.

  

I sank down to my knees, feeling defeated. I was going to die alone on this island. Why couldn't I have died in the sea with my father? It would have been a better end than starving to death alone on some island in God knows where. I let my body fall to the ground and closed my eyes, heavy with the weight of hunger and dehydration.

  

When I woke I knew a few hours had passed, the sun was a little lower in the sky than it had been before. I put my hands on the ground to push myself up and came into contact with a hard fuzzy rock. I picked it up and examined it, and I knew then that it wasn't a rock but a fruit called a coconut. My father had told me about them, they contained a fluid and a sweet flesh inside. I had to get the fruit open so I could get to the water inside.

I looked around for a rock to break it open but found nothing but soft sand and trees. I followed along to beach and found a large rock formation jetting out of the ground from the sea. I ran as fast as I could to the edge and started to pound the coconut on the rock, after a few weak thrusts I felt it start to crack open. I put the crack to my kips and let the fluid drip out into my mouth.

It was like heaven. The liquid was light and sweet. Once the fluid was gone I cracked the coconut open into pieces and scraped out the white flesh with my nails and teeth. It wasn't as sweet as the water, but it was food and I needed something in my stomach. After I devoured what I could, I went and found more fallen coconuts and ate and drank as much as my stomach could hold.

  

The sun would be going down soon. I needed to find shelter, but there was nothing on this island but sand and trees. If I had more daylight I would try to find means to start a fire, but the sun was nearly set and there was not enough time. I was too tired to move too, I fell to the ground under a large palm tree and immediately fell asleep.

\------------------------------------------------------

  

_My ears were muffled, it sounded like I was under water. But that couldn't be, I was breathing just fine. I opened my eyes and saw an array of colors glowing around me. Everything was blurry. I blinked my eyes a few times and my blurred vision subsided. Now that I could see clearly I knew my first thought was right...I was under water._

_There colors I saw dancing around were actually coming from brightly colored fish and coral that seemed to be glowing in the sunlight shining through the waves. I reached out to touch a patch of beautiful lavender colored coral and was startled to see scaled webbing between my fingers and little fins over my knuckles. The scales were translucent but had an iridescent shine that reflected a rainbow of colors._

_Suddenly I heard a voice calling out to me, "Cora."_

_I looked in all directions but I couldn't see anything. I opened my mouth to call out, but no noise left my lips._

_Then I heard the voice again, "Cora.", it was louder this time._

_I tried to call out again, and again no sound left my lips. What was going on?_

 

_"Cora.", the voice called out, this time it felt like it was inside my skull, "Cora, you must hang on. Follow your heart, follow the sea._

_\----------------------------------------------------------_

 

By the time I opened my eyes the sun was already high in the sky. I had been on this island for three days now. Coconuts had been the main ingredient to my survival. I drank coconut milk, ate coconut flesh, and used the hairs from the outside of the fruit to act as dried flint to start my fires. I was strong and I was alive, but I was really starting to get sick of the flavor and smell of coconut.

I needed to find some real food, some meat to fill my belly. The only animals I had seen on this island were bright colored birds, and I didn't have a weapon to try and capture one. The best option I had was to try to catch some fish. I found a piece of driftwood on the beach and did the best I could to break pieces off to create a spear. I went into the water, but I couldn't find any fish near the beach, my plan wasn't going to work. After a few hours I was exhausted from my efforts.

Looking out into the water, I started to feel calm and relaxed. The waves seemed to be calling to me, memories of my dream from the night before started to flood into my mind. I decided that I would go for a swim in the shallow waves. I loosened the laces on my corset and striped away all my clothing. I was alone on this island after all, no one would be able to see my naked body. After I removed my shredded chemise, I started into the water. The sea on my bare skin felt like liquid silk, hugging all the curves and of my skin.

I laid back and floated over the soft waves. Closing my eyes, I let the waves rock my body back and forth. I'm not sure how long I let myself float there, but I was startled to hear voices somewhere in the distance. I stopped floating and brought my head up from the water, my feet were barely touching the sand on the ocean floor. I scanned the beach for the source of the voices but saw nothing. Then I realized the voices were coming from behind me in the direction of the sea.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight before me. There was a small boat with six men rowing towards the beach, towards me. Behind them was a large and dark ship. The sails were colored with a deep maroon color. I searched for a flag to find what country the ship belonged to, but only found a plain black flag flying high above the sails. It had to be a pirate ship.

I had no where to go, I was trapped in the water and I was stark naked. There wasn't enough time to try and escape toward the beach, the small boat was too close, and I wouldn't be able to outswim it. The best I could do was stay where I was and pray to god that these men wouldn't harm me. They were only a few meters away and I could see the questioning faces that the men wore.

"Oy! What are ye woman? Are ye some sort a siren?", the man at closest to me shouted with a pistol aimed in my direction.

"Be ready to cover yer ears lads, don't let her beauty fool ye. Merfolk play tricks with yer eyes and ears.", a heavy set man at the back of the boat added.

Siren? Merfolk? These men really thought I was some sort of mystic being? Though I couldn't blame them for thinking so. My general appreance was not what any typical lady looked like. My white hair and bright eyes alone could fool anyone into thinking I was some sort of magical creature. Plus, I knew my naked form would not help me in this situation.

The boat was closer now, only a meter or so away. I quickly moved my arms to shield my private parts from the men. I had never been this exposed in front of any man before.  The man with the pistol spoke again with his deep voice. "Aye lass, tell us what you are or I'll shoot ye. And I never miss my mark."

The man sitting next to him added, "Sea creatures don speak languages of men, she must be a siren. Look at er hair and eyes, humans do not hold this beauty. I say ye shoot er Captain."

So the man at the front was the Captain, I could see his hesitation at the mans words, deciding whether or not he should just kill me now. I had to speak before it was too late.

"Wait! P-please sir don't shoot! I'm not a siren or anything like that. Please don't kill me!", I pleaded with the men before me.

I could see the shock in the mens faces. The Captain kept his pistol aimed at me, but I could see his shoulders relax slightly.

"Who are you? You speak with the words of a lady.", the Captain spoke more clearly this time and left out his shortened improper pirate dialect.

I cleared my throat and tried to speak as clearly as I could so these men would know I was a proper lady and not some evil sea creature, "My name is Coraline Lignum Ashton, sir. I was aboard the Lignum Vitae, we hit a storm four days ago. I woke up on this island."

The Captain lowered his pistol at my words and brought his large perfectly shaped eyebrows together in a questioning gaze, "Ashton? Are you related to Oliver Ashton?"

Thank God he knew my fathers name, I felt some slight relief and answered, "Yes Sir, he is my father.", I paused then spoke again with tears threatening to spill from my eyes, "Well he was my father, I don't think he survived the storm."

"I am sorry to hear that miss. Captain Ashton was a good man.", the captain said with sad eyes, "I am Captain Phineas Tucker, you may call me Captain Phin my Lady.", he said with a slight bow of his head.

 


	3. 3

Captain Tucker pulled a ragged blanket from the small boat and handed it out to me while I was still standing completely naked in the water.

"Here you are Miss Ashton, for your decency.", he said while looking at my naked form through the water.

I could feel my cheeks getting red at his stare and I grabbed the dirty blanket from him to cover myself as fast as I could. I pulled the blanket around my shoulders and made my way out of the water towards the beach. When I got out of the water my hands were shaking. Not from the cold, but from the thoughts of the unknown. What were these pirates going to do with me? Would I be safe? I had no other options and was stuck here. I was praying to God that they would help me find my way, but even I didn't know my way now. Now that Father was gone, where would I go? I couldn't go to the plantation in Barbados now, I could never own slaves. And I knew I could never succeed in my fathers dream without him. I was completely lost.

The pirates pulled their little boat up the beach and I could sense the awkwardness lingering in the air behind me, I was still completely naked under this blanket and there were six men, no six pirates behind me. I decided I needed to be strong, no matter what would happen to me, I would fight my way or die in the process. I raised my shoulders and stood as straight and ladylike as I could and hugged the blanket as tightly around me as I could, then I turned towards the pirated behind me.

"If you excuse me sirs, but I need some privacy to change back into my clothes.", I said and looked at each man coldly in the eyes. When my eyes met those of Captain Tucker I stumbled a bit from the shock of his beauty.

Standing tall on the beach in front of me I was able to take in his full form for the first time. Unlike the men around him, his clothes were clean and elegant. He wore a dark green coat made of a thick material, the trim and cuffs of the coat were lined with black velvet and was decorated with black knots and buttons. He wore a black linen shirt covered with a black vest and had black pants. His feet were covered with black dyed leather boots that were clearly made with the highest quality leather.

His face was handsome, smooth and golden from the sun. His facial hair was short and expertly trimmed in the current fashions of London elite. His eyes were a dark green, like a dark emerald. His hair was dark brown, the top half pulled back and under his hat, but he left the bottom half of his hair down, it came in waves just below his shoulder. His head was topped with an elaborate pirate hat that perfectly matched his dark green and black jacket. He came towards me and I could see how tall and strong he was, I could feel his power and authority radiating off of him, though he couldn't be more than 25 years old.

He stopped a few meters away from me and looked at the crumpled pile of rags near my feet. A smile came to his lips and revealed nearly perfect teeth, this man knew how to keep himself properly groomed. The butterflies in my stomach were starting to make my head feel weak as I took in the handsome man before me. I knew my cheeks must have turned red as he started laughing lightly at me.

"Are these your clothes Miss Ashton? This pile of rags?", he bent down and lifted my shredded dress from the ground.

I stuck my chin up defiantly, not letting him make fun of me as he was, and I ripped the dress away from his hands.

"If you remember Captain Tucker, I was just in a shipwreck from a hurricane three days ago! I regret to inform you that my luggage did not survive the hurricane as I did.", I shouted at him with an irritated tone. I immediately regretted it, I should act more respectful so these men don't hurt me.

The Captain raised his hands up in front of him apologetically, "I am sorry Miss Ashton, I should not have tormented you so. I should not have been so harsh, I am but a humble pirate after all.", his lips pilled to the left in an amused smile.

"As it so happens we have quite a few extra women's garments aboard our ship and within our treasures on the island. You are most welcome to pick any which you find suitable to your liking. After all, a lady as beautiful as yourself should not be dressed in torn up rags.", he turned towards his men then and spoke to them as well, "You have my word Miss Ashton that none of my men will harm you in any way."

I felt a bit relieved but then was also confused about the women's garments so I asked, "Why would you have ladies clothes? And what do you mean they are on the island? I have roamed this island the last few days, there is nothing but jungle and sand."

Captain Tucker spun back towards me with a cunning look on his face, his piercing eyes looking right into mine, "Miss Ashton, we are pirates. This is our island where we hide all of our stolen treasures and plunder. We would never just leave these goods laying around in the open, they are hidden. As for the clothes, any fine women's garments we obtain are sold to some of the best dress shops here in the Caribbean, we make quite a profit on them."

He came closer to me and reached his hand out for the blanket wrapped around me. He pulled it away from my body and held it out in front of me so no one could see me, "I will shield you while you change into your rags Miss Ashton, then I will escort you to our stores and let you chose your wardrobe."

After I was done changing Captain Tucker gave me his arm to escort me to the dresses. He led me about half a mile into the jungle. There was a large area that had been cleared for trees, but the ground was covered with grass and shrubs. Captain Tucker crouched down and pulled under one of the shrubs in front of him. I was surprised to see that all of the shrubs in front of me were actually sitting on top of a tarp. Once the tarp was completely gone, there was a large square hole in the ground nearly 30 square feet wide. The hole was filled with wooden containers.

Captain Tucker lowered himself down into the hole and extended his arms to me to help me down. His hands went around my waist and easily brought me down to the ground he was on. For a moment we were standing so close that our chest were touching. I felt flustered and pulled myself away, only to find that I was pinned to the wall of dirt behind me. Captain Tucker chucked and came closer to me, his eyes looking deeply into mine.

"You really are Oliver Ashton's daughter, aren't you?", he said while studying my eyes as closely as possible, "You have his icy eyes, I would recognize them anywhere."

I cleared my throat, it was hard not to get lost in his dark emerald eyes while they he was so close, "Y-you knew my father?"

He didn't hesitate for a moment and was still inches from my face, "Yes, I did. Him and my father were stationed in Port Royal together. He was my godfather, I was named after him. I was only eight when he returned to England, and never saw him again. But I will always remember how kind he was."

Then it came to me, he had said his name was Captain Phineas Tucker. My fathers middle name was Phineas. Memories of my father came flooding into my head and my heart started to sting with sorrow. I would never see my father again, he was gone forever. I looked away and let my eyes drop to the floor, causing the tears welling in my eyes to spill onto my cheeks. I felt the Captains hand come to my cheek and wipe away my tears. The touch was too much and sent my emotions out of control. I fell into his chest and let my sobs shutter through my body. I hadn't had any strength or time to mourn for my father and all the emotions were finally breaking free.

Captain Tucker pulled me into his large hard chest and wrapped his strong arms around my back. He moved one of his hands and started to lightly rub my back, trying to comfort me for my loss and pain. We must have been that way for a few minutes. When my body stopped shaking and I was warmly nuzzled against the Captains chest, I felt much better.

"There, there love. It will be alright." He pulled my head gently away from his chest and turned my tear stained face to look up at his, "He will always be with you in your heart. Always guiding you."

I took a moment to just gaze into his emerald eyes. I had never seen eyes like these, and every time I looked into them I felt myself getting lost. I felt relaxed and soothed. I didn't know this man at all, yet for some reason I felt like I had known him all my life.

He broke our gaze and his eyes traveled down to my dark brown wide lips, I could sense the hunger in his stare, I was feeling it too. But he was a gentleman and instead of leaning into my lips he gently cleared his throat and pulled away. I felt a sudden sense of rejection, but quickly pulled myself together. I just met this man, I didn't know him, what has gotten into me?

Captain Tucker turned around and went to a large wooden crate a few meters away from us. He pulled out a large knife from under his coat and pried open a nail that held the lid of the crate in place. After a moment he pulled the lid free and revealed a large array of fabrics and colors.

"Alas, here you are my lady. Please chose whatever you need.", the Captain walked past me and pulled himself out of the dirt hole, "I will leave you with some privacy to choose your attire and change properly. I am sure you are famished. Come back to the beach when you are ready and I will have a meal prepared for you. My crew and I will be camping on the island for a few days before we sail to Nassau. I am happy to sail you to wherever you wish to go."

He smiled and turned to around back towards the beach. I was left alone with the large assortment of dresses in front of me. I turned and looked at the other crates in the large hole. I was curious as to what treasures were hidden under the wooden panels. I brought my attention back to the dresses. Each one was made with fine silks and lace, tailored in the highest English fashion. They were much more fine than the clothes I was used to wearing.

I found a new clean white chemise and a sky blue corset. I did as best as I could to lace the corset on my own. I found a deep blue sapphire silk dress, it was lined with black lace and had silver flowers stitched along the lines down the front of the bodice. The neckline was cut low and exposed the top of my breasts. I also found a pair of knee high black boots that fit my feet perfectly, they were quite comfortable and made of the softest leather.

At the bottom of the crate I saw a glimmer of metal signing in the light. I picked it up to find a small dagger about three inches long. I decided to keep in, just in case I may need to protect myself. Captain Tucker assured me that I would be protected, but I knew not to trust all men so easily. I trusted him, but how could I know that I could trust his men? I tucked the knife into my right boot and made my way out of the hole to head back to the beach.

 


	4. 4

When I found my way back to the beach I found nearly 80 men, all busy with different tasks. Some men were busy cooking over large fires, others were busy setting up tents and shelter, most men were busy pulling large wooden crates out of the small boats from the ship. They were bringing their treasures on shore to store them in that big hole in the middle of the jungle. I was surprised how orderly and organized everything was, these men seemed like professionals. Captain Tucker must really be a good leader to have this many pirates working in such an organized manner.

I made my way out of the shadows of the jungle and onto the beach. As soon as the sunlight hit my pink pale skin all working stopped and every head was turned towards me. I was quickly missing the little shelter that the jungle was giving me only moments before. After a few seconds Captain Tucker came out of a tent and followed the gaze of his men towards me. His eyes widened and fixed on me before he cleared his throat and instructed the men to work.

Once the men turned their attention back to their jobs the Captain made his way across the sand towards me. When he was a couple meters away he stopped and took in my new attire. I could see his eyes searching up and down my body, drinking in my appearance. I felt my skin flush under his gaze and quickly turned my eyes out towards the water. Captain Tucker sensed my embarrassment and reached out a hand to me.

"Miss Ashton, you made a fantastic choice with your wardrobe, simply breathtaking.", he said while bowing slightly he brought my hand to his lips to brush a light kiss over my fingers.

Butterflies filled my stomach and froze me in place. I just stood there, staring into his captivating emerald eyes. I wondered if he knew how powerful those irises really were. He stood back up straight and offered me his arm.

"I have a meal prepared for you in my private tent. Please enjoy your privacy and eat your fill. I bet you are famished.", he led me to his tent and pushed aside the opening to let me in.

It was fairly large. The tent held a cot covered with furs and blankets, on the opposite corner there was a table large enough to seat four people. The table held some candles and a warm plate filled with steaming food. The smell made my stomach start to grumble. The Capitan started to chuckle at the noise and I felt myself getting red again.

"No need to be embarrassed here Miss, you are after all, in the presence of pirates.", he led to me the table and pulled out a chair for me, "Please enjoy Miss Ashton, please let me know if you need anything else."

He went to leave the tent and I called out to him before he was out of sight, "Wait!"

He turned back towards me with a questioning stare, "Is everything alright Miss Ashton?"

I was dazed again, whenever I saw those eyes I was lost. I quickly closed my eyes shut to regain my focus before speaking.

"Thank you Captain, I will be forever grateful for your kindness and generosity. I only hope there is some way I can return your kindness.", I said with a calm and steady voice, at least that's how I tried to sound. I probably sounded like a naïve little girl.

But I was surprised by the look the Captain gave me in response. His eyes held the same lustful look that most men sent my way, but he seemed more genuine. Like there was something longing from inside of him, something more than just sexual desire. His eyes were burning into mine, creating a tingling feeling inside my body.

Captain Tucker brought his lips up in a seductive smile and said, "Well, Miss Ashton, I am sure that we will find something suitable as repayment. But for now, please, eat up and get some rest. I will come back shortly to make sure you have all you need."

He tucked out of the tent and I was alone to enjoy my hot meal of boiled potatoes and carrots with pork in a rich brown stew in peace. I ate every last scrap on my plate. My stomach was stuffed to the brim, and I was uncomfortably full. After the meal I was suddenly very tired, everything was catching up to me, and I was drained. There was a small lounge chair covered in furs behind the dining table, I decided to lay down and rest my eyes for a while.

_"Cora....Cora. Follow your heart, follow the sea."_

When I woke I could see that it was completely dark outside now. There were candles lit all around the tent. I could hear the men outside singing songs and laughing at jokes, they were clearly celebrating and enjoying themselves. I sat up and was startled when I heard a deep voice.

"Ah, Miss Ashton. I hope the men didn't wake you, they can be quite loud at times.", Captain Tucker said just before putting a bite of his food into his mouth. He was sitting at the dining table. The light from the candles were casting enchanting shadows over his face, the light reflected off of his green eyes and made them dace in the flames. It was captivating.

I straightened out my skirts and sat up straight in the lounge chair. Suppressing a small yawn I replied to the Captain, "They didn't wake me, I was having a strange dream. But no matter."

I studied the Capitan while he was eating for a moment then spoke again, "Please, don't feel like you have to watch me all the time. I will find suitable sleeping arrangements and let you enjoy your privacy."

I stood up and went to make my way to the exit of the tent, but the Captain was too quick for me. He had his fingers wrapped around my arm and was pulling me away from the exit before I could even let out my breath.

"Miss Ashton, I would highly advise against that notion. I promised to keep you safe, and if you leave this tent tonight I do not know that I can keep that promise. My men are loyal to me, but when men drink too much their minds get clouded with wickedness.", he spun me around and led me to the dining table to take a seat, "Please, Miss Ashton. I would like you to take my bed, I will sleep on the lounge chair and make sure no men come wandering in during the night."

I was extremely grateful for the Captain, and I knew he was right. But I couldn't help wondering why he was protecting me, why did he care what the men did to me? Then I thought about the fact that he would be sleeping in the same room with me. I had slept in the same room with my father when I was a child, but never in my life had I slept in the same room with any man as an adult. I had to wonder; could I trust him? Would he try to seduce me? Strangely, a part of me was starting to think that wouldn't be a bad thing...

_WHOA!_ What has gotten into me? I had never experienced thoughts like this about anyone before. I can't really be lusting after someone, this had to be a side affect of the shock from the last few days. But I couldn't stop looking into his eyes, and he seemed to always be looking back into mine. I felt a connection, but I could also just be imagining that. He was probably just very suspicious of me and keeping a close eye on me. After all, now I knew where he hid his treasure...not like I would ever be able to find this island again in my life.

Captain Tucker finished his meal and set aside his plate. Neither of us had spoken a word while he ate. He sat back in his seat and eyed me up and down, taking his damn time about it too. I was getting anxious under his hot stare.

Then he broke the silence, "You have such a unique hair texture, it doesn't match your skin tone at all."

I was extremely embarrassed by his words, but also confused. What did he mean for my skin color? I knew everything about me was different for a typical English lady, even my pale pink skin, but the way he said it made it seem like he had seen the texture before. I had never met anyone with a similar texture to mine. No one has ever been able to tame the thick wild locks that billowed out abound my head. The white strands would frizz out in all direction. It had its own devilish will, and I could never tame it. So, I always wore my hair up and in as tight a knot as possible to hide the monstrosity.

I tried to be polite, but also defensive, "Excuse me _Captain Tucker,_ but what exactly do you mean for my _skin color_?"

His eyes widened, "I am sorry Miss Ashton, I am always too honest for my own good. But I did not mean any offense. I have met many men and woman who have the same hair texture that you have, but none of them have ever had your white hair color, of course. The color you most definitely got from your father, but he had soft straight white hair.", his eyes were staring at my face and my body, examining every inch.

I could see he was is deep thought while taking in the details. I felt as though he was studying me, and I suddenly felt angry and uncomfortable. Was this man insulting me? Why the devil is he staring at me like that? He mentioned he met many people with my hair texture, I wondered who he was speaking of.

"Captain Tucker! Why are you studying me so intently? Surely this is not the gentlemanly way to act towards a lady.", I snapped at him with a sharp tone.

He seemed amused and slightly surprised by my response. He chucked slightly and said, "I am sorry to be so bold Miss Ashton, but I dare say I feel very interested in you. You are the daughter to one of the greatest men I ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have always held your father very close to my heart. He left immediately after the earthquake and we never heard a word from him.", he studied my face again then continued, "But I guess it makes sense that he went home to England and found a wife for himself. What of your mother Miss Ashton?"

I was taken aback by the Captains question. He seemed to think that my mother was in England. I thought he knew my father well, wouldn't he have known my mother then too? She died in the earthquake that he was just speaking of. I was born there; wouldn't he have known about me before now? I was beyond confused. Maybe he didn't really know my father at all and was playing a big trick on me.

I replied flatly, confusion showing in my voice, "My mother was not in England. She is dead, she died in the earthquake."

My eyes never left the Captains, I concentrated on his face to look for any signs of him lying to me. He looked genuinely surprised by my answer, or he was just a very good liar. For now I couldn't tell which was right. 

"The earthquake the sunk Port Royal? Your mother was there?", he asked, but he also seemed to be putting thoughts together in his head.

He stood up and came around the table towards me. He placed his fingers on the bottom of my jaw and tilted my head so I was looking up at him. His eyes studied my skin and features very closely. Then he ran his thumb across my dark wide lips and across my cheek. Normally I would never let anyone touch me like this, but I didn't want him to stop. He brought his other hand up to my hair and ran a few loose stands through his fingers.

His touch was starting to make my insides feel hot, and part of me never wanted him to stop. My breathing started to get heavy and I let my eyes close shut for a moment and let my head relax into his hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes and got lost in his glowing emeralds.

Captain Tucker let out a quiet sigh and spoke with a sensual voice, "Astonishing, your beauty is extraordinary Miss Ashton. It is no wonder my men are convinced that you are an enchantress from the sea, sent here to seduce and kill us all.", he laughed then dropped his hand from my head and sat back down in his chair.

So that's what the men think of me, some mythical legend who has come to kill them all. I was suddenly very happy that Captain Tucker would be sleeping close tonight. Now more than ever I was scared that the crew might come to kill me to prevent me from killing them. I just hope that he would protect me too. Please God, don't let these pirates kill me.

Captain Tucker broke me from my inner thoughts. "Tell me Miss Ashton, what do you know of your mother?"

His question was a little intrusive, but I decided that if I wanted to gain his trust then, I may as well just tell the truth. And the truth was, I knew absolutely nothing of my mother. Just that she died in Port Royal when the city sunk.

"My father never told me anything about her. He always refused to talk about her. All I know, is that I was born in Port Royal, and my mother died there when the city sank."

"I see." Captain Tucker brought his wine goblet to his lips and took a deep drink. He seemed a little put off for a moment, but then straightened up and stated, "Well Miss Ashton I think maybe we should each get some rest. Please make yourself comfortable on the bed, I will be just there on the lounge."

I nodded in agreement and made my way to the bed. Under normal circumstances I would sleep in my chemise or a knight dress, but with a man sleeping in the room I decided to just sleep in my dress. I sat down on the bed and watched Captain Tucker slip his jacket off and hang it over the back of the lounge. He made his way around the room and blew out a few candles, leaving a few burning to create a dim glow within the tent.

Before he laid down to sleep I mustered up the courage and asked, "Captain Tucker?"

"Yes Miss Ashton?", he asked.

"You said you knew people who had similar hair to mine. Would you possibly know any tricks to taming it?", I knew it was probably a long shot, but the humidity in this region was making my hair turn into a giant fluffy mess.

Captain Tucker looked at me for a moment with slight amusement in his eyes, "I have a few crewmen who would have those answers for you Miss Ashton. I will introduce you tomorrow. For now, please get some rest."

I nodded my head in thanks and positioned myself so I was facing away from the Captain. I didn't want him to be able to study my face more while I was sleeping. Then I thought back to his comments. He said he had men in his crew with the same type of hair as her? I was curious about these men, I felt like there was something that the Captain has pieced together that he wasn't yet sharing with me. I pushed it out of my mind and let sleep take over my body and mind.


	5. 5

The next day the Captain took it upon himself to introduce me to each man in his crew. He told me that he thought it would help the men see that I was not some evil magical creature, and just a beautiful young lady who was lost in the Caribbean. Pirates already thought it was bad luck to have a woman on a ship, we needed the men to trust me and respect me if I wanted to have a safe journey with them in a few days when we leave the island.

Captain Tucker led me to a group of about seven men. The group stared wearily at me as I approached with my hand in the Captains arm.

"Good morning, lads. I trust you all enjoyed your festivities last night?", the Captain spoke, and each man nodded their good morning to him.

"May I present to you our new friend, Miss Coraline Ashton.", he said to the group then went around to each man and introduced them to me with their names and positions.

After the introductions the Captain would always speak of my father, "Miss Ashton is the daughter of Captain Oliver Phineas Ashton. A great man, he was also named as my Godfather."

The men would stare wide eyed back and forth between me and the Captain, and I could feel each man start to trust me a little more just knowing this information.

I studied each man as they were introduced to me. It was clear that the crew was made up with a large mix of different men from nations all over the world. There were men from South America, Africa, Asia, and Egypt. But there were also various men from Europe; Spaniards, Frenchmen, German, and even a man who claimed to be a Viking from the North. There were a lot of men from the British Empire, which was lucky for me since it meant the main language spoken was among the crew was English.

Once the ice was broken between me and the crew, I started to engage in conversations with them. Many of them were quite respectful and kind towards me. There were still who were weary, but they seemed to be more fearful and I didn't think they would take any opportunities to hurt me.

I was sitting on the beach with a group of men who were comparing stories of beasts and animals from different parts of the world. Some of the places these men have seen were truly incredible. Their tales and descriptions of these foreign lands made me long to be able to see the rest of the world and the people and things living in it.

We were interrupted by the Captain approaching with a tall and dark-skinned man next to him, "Hello Miss Ashton, I hope I am not interrupting you."

I smiled up at him and shook my head slightly, "Not at all Captain Tucker, please join us.", I motioned to an open spot on the sand in our circle.

The two newcomers took a seat and the Captain spoke, "Miss Ashton, may I introduce my First Mate and closest friend, Lekan. Lekan, this is Miss Coraline Ashton."

Lekan had deep dark brown skin. His shoulders were broad, and he looked like a mighty warrior. His face was wide with large wide lips and a flat wide nose. His hair was a deep brown color, almost black, and braided in long strands that went past his shoulders. When Lekan spoke, I could hear his very thick African accent, though he spoke English perfectly. His voice was abnormally deep and strong, but it held a wise and friendly tone.

"It is good to meet Miss Coraline.", Lekan said and nodded his head towards me. He was studying my features closely, similar to how the Captain was the night before.

Captain Tucker spoke, "Miss Ashton, Lekan has agreed to provide you advice to properly care for your hair in this humid climate."

My eyebrows shot up on my forehead. This was the man who he said had similar hair to mine? I looked back to Lekan. His hair was in thick round braids and was almost black in color, why would the captain say that our hair was similar? Why would my hair be similar to that of a man from West Africa?

Captain Tucker must have seen the confusion on my face, he added, "When Lekan has his hair out of his braids, I assure you Miss Ashton, its is the exact same poufy texture that yours is now. As it is with most men and woman from West Africa."

My mouth dropped open at the shock of his words. Is this true? My hair texture was the same as those with African origins? I didn't know what that meant. But I always knew that I contained different traits far from normal woman of my nation. The confusion was starting to make my head hurt. What did this mean?

Lekan interrupted my thoughts when he spoke, "Lekan will be happy to help Miss Coraline, Miss Jatau."

Jatau? Did I hear him correctly? I had no idea what the word meant, but I decided to let it go. I had to admit that I was intrigued. I really did like the way that the braids looked in Lekan's hair. They looked neat and manageable and they weren't a giant tangled mess on top of his head. It wasn't a very noble or ladylike look I had to admit, but I didn't care. Anything that could make my hair more manageable and less frustrating would be helping me for the better. Besides, who did I have to impress besides myself? My eyes suddenly roamed to Captain Tucker for some reason.

Lekan stood and held out his hand towards me, "Would Miss Caroline allow Lekan to touch her hair? Braiding will take an hour or more."

I took his hand and let him help me stand. He was going to braid my hair? I had never had a man touch my head or my hair before. Then and there I decided that if I was going to be in the presence of pirates, I had to let go of all the formalities of the English ways. I was on my own now, I was no longer a lady of the British Empire. Everything I had known and loved had been taken from me. And I didn't want to go back to the life of a dainty lady. I would find my own path.

I nodded to Lekan and let him lead me to a chair that he had set up on the beach facing the ocean. He applied a sweet oil to his hands and rubbed it in to my scalp and hair. I had to admit, it was quite a relaxing sensation. The oil helped him easily undo my tangles with a wide toothed comb. Before he started the braids he warned me that it would hurt my scalp and to let him know if I needed to take a rest at any time if the pain became too unbearable.

Lekan was right, it was very painful, but I figured that it would all be worth it in the end. I tried my best to sit through the pain. After a few minutes Captain Tucker brought me a goblet filled with a sweet-scented spiced wine.

"For you Miss Ashton,", he said and handed me the goblet, "you look like you are in quite a bit of pain. The wine will help you relax."

I took the cup from him and brought it up to my lips. I inhaled the sweet and spicy scent of the red liquid before I let it touch my lips. I had never tasted spirits before, I was a lady of the British Empire after all. The liquid was sweet and bitter all at the same time and left a slight tingling sensation in my throat.

I smiled to the Captain, he was a true gentleman. I couldn't help but want to learn more about him.

"Please Captain, wont you join us?", Lekan pulled my hair a bit to work on his next braid and I slightly winced in pain, "I have a feeling that I am going to be here for a while and I would appreciate a distraction."

Captain Tucker smirked and sank into the sand besides me, "I would love to, Miss Ashton."

"Please call me Cora, Captain Tucker. Miss Ashton feels too formal, considering the circumstances.", I could feel the wine was giving me more confidence and helping me let my guard down a bit.

Captain Tucker looked directly into my eyes and spoke my name "Cora" with a sensual and smooth voice. It sounded like silk coming out of his lips. I was momentarily lost in his dark green eyes, forgetting where I was or what was going on. But then my hair was pulled by Lekan and the sensitivity brought me back into reality.

"Well Cora. When we are in front of my crew, please call me Captain Phin or Captain Tucker. But, when we are alone, you may call me Phineas.", he said with his eyes still burning into mine.

I took in a quick breath. When we were alone? Why would we ever be alone? The notion sounded so intimate, I felt my cheeks starting to flush.

"Y-yes Captain Tucker, thank you.", was all I was able to spit out. I turned back towards my cup and took a sip of the wine for a distraction.

He was still staring at me, and I was starting to feel uncomfortably hot under his gaze. Though the sun beating down on us was not helping either. It was mid-day and the sun was high in the middle of the sky. The heat made me thirsty and my cup was soon empty. I could feel the effects of the wine starting to creep over my body. My head felt lighter and a little dizzy, but I felt happy and content. The pain of Lekan braiding my hair was a lot more tolerable than it had been just a half hour before.

Captain Tucker noticed that the wine was starting to relax my mind, and he started to push questions on me, "So Cora," he had my attention, "where would you like me to take you when we leave the island? Where were you headed before your shipwreck?"

I promised myself that I would be completely honest with him and honest with myself, "My father was taking me to Barbados. He purchased a sugar plantation.", I could feel Lekan tense behind me. Plantations were, after all, worked by slaves. I felt my heart sink, I hoped I hadn't offended the man who literally held my hair in his hands right at that moment.

I decided to share my father's true intentions behind the plantation, "M-my father wanted to help African men and women make wages and create lives for them and their families. He wanted to help them. But I don't think I can take on his dream without him here. As much as I respect that he wanted to help these people, I could never myself own any human being."

I could feel Lekan relax behind me, my response must have been acceptable for him. But it was true. I could never own slaves, I could never own humans. I would never be able to run a sugar plantation with slaves. I could never become a master. 

Captain Tucker looked both surprised and pleased with my answer. He clasped his hands together and set them down in his lap. I noticed that he had a couple rings on his fingers; one was gold with a bright green emerald and was on the middle finger of his left hand, the other was fully made of a light blue clouded stone that was placed on the index finger on his right hand. I had never seen a material like that before.

"If you do not want to go to the plantation in Barbados, then where will you go?", Captain Tucker asked clearly, and took my distraction away from his hands. 

I looked out to the sea and watched the sunlight glinting off the waves. It looked similar to fire dancing in the refection of Captain Tuckers eyes. As I watched the waves crashing along the shore I felt like the ocean was calling out to me. It was telling me that I was free to do whatever I wanted with my future, that as long as I had the sea I would be home. For the first time in my life I was uncertain of where I would go or do with my life, and at the same time it felt like it was where I was mean to be. I was meant to follow the unknown.

I turned back towards the Captain and replied, "I don't know. But I know that as long as I am close to the sea that I will be home."

Captain Tucker looked at me with large eyes and his mouth hanging open. He was too shocked to speak.

Lekan spoke instead, "Miss Jatau sounds like pirate."

Captain Tucker let out a deep laugh, dimples sinking deep into his cheeks forming a smile that went into his eyes, "Aye, that she does."


	6. 6

When I was seven years old my father took me along with him on a voyage to Portugal. He was hired by some wealthy couples who wanted to go on holiday. We spent eight days playing on the beaches along Southern Portugal. My father always spoke about how long I stayed in the water every day, going further and further out into the sea on my own. I never wanted to leave.

I created my own imaginary mermaid friend. Her name was Sedna. We would swim around the cove and explore the life beneath the waves. She would summon different animals to come and meet me. I saw dolphins and various types of colored fish. Once I even met a whale. I knew it was all in my imagination, whales weren't known to venture around Portugal.

Sedna never used her lips to communicate with me, we could hear one another's thoughts. And sometimes I would hear the thoughts of the sea creatures that we met. Sedna told me stories of her childhood. It didn't sound very pleasant. She was kidnapped by a man who could turn into a bird, when her father came to save her she drowned in a storm that was cast by the angry bird-man. She said the King of the sea took pity on her and turned her into a Fairymaiden. In return for the king saving her life he charged her with being queen to the mammals of the sea.

I envied Sedna, she got to live in the magical sea and swim with all the beautiful sea creatures. I daydreamed about Sedna many times throughout the years of my childhood, letting my imagination run wild with the underwater kingdoms and the magical beings who lived there.

Whenever I talked about the mysteries of the ocean with anyone in England, I was always met with eyes filled with disgust. My governess repeatedly told me that I should not speak of such nonsense. She said I was raging on like a hysteric drunken sailor. I quickly learned to keep my passions for the sea hidden away from society and only indulged in them while away on voyages with my father.

Here, on this island in the middle of the Caribbean, surrounded by pirates, I was free to express my love for the vast and beautiful sea. Everyone on this island shared one major thing in common with one another, we all loved the sea and all its wonders.

The next few days passed with ease. The crew had started to accept and respect me. My new hair style also seemed to be happily accepted by everyone, it made me look somewhat like a pirate myself. They could see my passion for the ocean and her mysteries. I tried to speak with every man and learn a little about him and his past. They all ended their stories with Captain Tucker and how he took them into his scroungy crew that was really one big family. It seems the Captain had saved many of these men's lives in some way, many more than once. They were loyal to him, they also truly loved him, and he loved them all in return.

I continued to sleep in the Captains tent at night. I took the bed and he took the lounge. I don't think any of the men would dare harm me now that they had taken the time to know me, and any who dared to try would have the rest of the crew to go through first. Every man I shared conversation with had vowed to protect me. I truly did feel safe, pale and dainty little Cora felt complete security surrounded by a large crew of pirates. Though the crew was no longer a problem, Captain Tucker insisted that I continue to sleep in his quarters, under his protection.

On the third morning I woke up to find see the sun just barely starting to poke through the flaps of the tent. The air was glowing under the gentle glow of the sunrise. I shifted my head to the side to see Captain Tucker bent over the table, studying a map in the dim light. My heart began to beat faster, and I could feel it pounding in my chest.

The Captain was shirtless, his chest was wide and lean. He was broad but slender and had strong lean muscles formed under his golden sun kissed skin. The light from the sunrise made his golden skin glow. His hair was let all the way down, long wavy black locks cascading down his shoulders and framing around his face. His eyes were looking down and his long hair casted a dark shadow over his face.

My heart was pounding in my ears now, I thought for sure he was able to hear it. And maybe he did, for right in that moment his face lifted, and his emerald eyes locked with mine. The golden light from the sunrise seemed to melt into the dark green, like his eyes were actually burning with fire.

I took a deep breath and swallowed, then raised myself to a sitting position on the bed. He looked so delicious, standing there gazing at me with his smoldering eyes. My body began to tingle, and I involuntarily licked my lips, suddenly feeling parched. He must have noticed my reaction to his exposed body, because his eyes fixed on my lips then trailed down my throat to the swell of my breasts and back up again ending at my eyes. He looked just as thirsty as I was.

Then he stood up into his full height. I let my eyes trail down his body, I had never seen so much of a man before. I had seen a few paintings of naked men, some sculptures too, but I had never seen the real thing in person. He looked like a golden Greek God from my dreams.

Captain Tucker slowly made his way in front of me, I couldn't move, I was stuck watching the show in front of me. When he was close enough I felt his finger come below my chin and close my mouth. Wait, how long did I have my mouth open like that for? I was behaving like a lovesick child, like the innocent little virgin that I was.

Captain Tucker seemed to be amused, he laughed lightly and said, "Tell me Cora, how old are you? You couldn't be older than sixteen."

I blinked my eyes a few times and cleared my throat. He really did think I was a child, that made me a little hurt and angry. But I was not a child! I would be eighteen in four weeks, I was no longer a child. Something inside me wanted to prove that to him, but how?

I put my chin up slightly and replied with slight rage in my tone, "No, Captain. I am seventeen, I will be eighteen next month.", not able to control my anger I added, "I am not a child, Phineas."

He had said that I could call him by his first name when we were alone, and we were alone, weren't we? I hadn't meant to say it, but it came out so naturally. I hope I didn't make him angry. He was still the only option I had of getting off this island. Sometimes I had a problem with my temper and spoke without thinking. My governess has always said my thoughts were too strong willed for a young woman and should be kept in my head.

But the Captain didn't look angry, if anything his eyes seemed to soften when I spoke his name. He traced his middle finger along my jaw line then down my neck and let it rest just above my breast. He was staring down at me and bit his lower lip slightly. When his fingers traced my skin, I felt a pulse rise up my spine. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, the Captains eyes were fixed on my breasts as they rose up from my breath.

He looked back into my eyes and pulled his hand away, "Yes, I can see that you are not a child."

He turned away as quickly as he could and dressed in his shirt and jacket in record time. I stood and made my way to the opening of the tent, wanting to escape the tension that was built up in the small space. I opened the flap to see Lekan standing directly on the other side, his hand over the hilt of his sword, ready to pounce if he was needed.

He looked me up and down quickly as if looking for marks or signs of a struggle, "Miss Jatau Cora, are you well?"

I was surprised by his sudden worry over me, what was he protecting me from? I was with the Captain, who would I need protecting from? Then it hit me, he was ready to protect me from Captain Tucker. Was he was worried he would take advantage of me? My heart was filled with adoration for the man before me. He was a true friend. But he needed to know that he shouldn't worry so much for me. I had a feeling that if Captain Tucker tired anything with me, it would be of my own willing and sound mind.

I placed my hand over Lekan's hand over his sword and looked into his eyes, "Yes, my friend, I am perfectly fine.", I motioned towards the inside of the tent with my head and teased, "No need to be so worried for your Captain, he hardly needs protection from me. You are a very loyal friend to guard him so well from his enemies."

Lekan started to laugh loud and hard, his deep voice bellowing out of him. I had never seen him laugh so hard. Captain Tucker came through the flap of the tent, I wondered if her had heard our interaction.

He answered my thoughts by saying, "Cora, I don't think even Lekan would be able to protect me against you."

What did he mean by that? Why would he ever need protecting from little me? He was very good at teasing me. The three of us went to a small fire a few meters away and were served some breakfast from the cook. After I filled my stomach I decided to ask Lekan a question that had been burning my mind the last few days.

"Lekan,", he looked up at me when I said his name, "I keep hearing you use the word Jatau with my name. I am curious as to its meaning."

Lekan swallowed his food then gave me a big smile, "Jatau in Africa mean light skin. Some African men have light skin, but it uncommon for a woman. More uncommon for white hair, this is something I never see before you."

I understood why he was saying I had light skin, but I did not understand why he was comparing me so much to his people.

I wondered, "You had never seen a blonde woman before?"

Lekan shook his head, "I saw light hair woman, but never light haired African woman."

I was getting really confused now. Was he really saying I was a white haired African woman? My skin was white, didn't he see that? Not just light skinned, but white.

"Lekan, I was not born in Africa, I am a lady of the British Empire.", I suddenly felt the need to correct his wrong statement.

He just shook his head, "Not born in Africa, but not born in England either."

He was right, I wasn't born in England, but what did that have to do with anything. I turned my head to Captain Tucker; my eyes were searching him for help. Why wasn't he correcting his closest friend about his mistake? Instead he said the exact opposite from what I expected him to say.

"Cora. You may not see it, but even I can not deny the physical similarities. I have been around more than enough Africans to recognize the subtle traits. Your skin is white, and your eyes are ice, just like your father. But, your skin is clear and smooth, your nose is wide and flat, your lips are large and dark, and despite your hair color being white your have the same texture that you only find on Africans. All of those traits, I have only ever seen in men and women from Africa. You must have African blood in you...did you not say that your father never told you about your mother?", he said it clearly and slow, knowing that I would take his statements as a surprise.

I felt like my heart had stopped. Suddenly everything made sense. All of my unique features weren't from nothing. My mother must have been an African woman. Brought to Jamaica as a slave under the Spanish. Since my skin was so light my father would have been able to freely declare that I was his daughter, just as long as no one knew who my mother really was. As psychotic as it sounded, deep inside my soul I knew that it was the truth. I felt like a secret piece of me was emerging and breaking free into my soul. My world had turned upside down. 


	7. 7

I was dreaming. I knew I was dreaming because I was under water and I wasn't drowning. The salt from to ocean water wasn't stinging my eyes, and I could see everything around me so clearly. I looked at my hands, the iridescent fins and scales were back on my fingers. I noticed that the scales went up my arms as well. I studied the rest of my body to find all of my pale pink skin covered in the iridescent scales and formed fins along my elbows and legs. My toes were slightly webbed together as well as my fingers. It looked like rainbows were sparkling off of my skin.

A small school of orange and black colored fish swam around me and brushed my skin lightly, tickling me with their fins. The group swam a little away from me and started to dance in the water, creating a small bubbles to float up towards the surface. They started to swim away deeper in the water towards a large bunch of a colorful coral reef on the ocean floor.

I felt the urge to follow them and get a better look of the coral. It was so beautiful, majestic. The coral came out of the sand in large sections, covered in bright shimmering colors. Once I was placed over the middle of the large reef, I noticed a large black hole in the center, large enough to swim into. It was strange, why was there this giant black tunnel in the middle of this beautiful coral formation.

The school of fish swam closer to the opening and then one by one disappeared into the black unknown. I was hesitant to follow, something felt wrong. Where did this tunnel go? Was it safe? Then I remembered that I was in a dream, it didn't matter what was in the hole since this was all coming from my imagination anyways.

I swam closer to the black tunnel and was surprised to feel the water was much warmer the closer I got to it. I got even closer and then my mind was invaded by whispers from a woman's voice, I immediately stopped swimming and listened to try and make out what the voice was saying.

"Cora....Cora...Follow your heart.", the mystery voice said.

I tried to speak back but nothing came out of my mouth. The voice was in my head...maybe if I think really hard I can communicate to the voice?

I thought as hard as I could, "Hello? Hello? Where are you? Where am I?"

The voice responded, and was no longer a whisper but a soft female voice, "You are where you are meant to be. Follow your heart."

"Follow my heart? Where will my heart take me? What is going on?", I pleaded for more information.

"You have learned half of the truth now. Follow your heart, follow the sea and you will learn the rest of your truth.", the voice was back to a whisper and seemed to be fading away, "Find Mulki a Okean, become Kraljica a Teku."

"The truth? Wait where should I go? Please help me!", I screamed in my head as loud as I could.

The voice was gone, and I knew that it wouldn't be coming back again for now. I was so confused. What did she mean about knowing half of my truth? What language was she speaking at the end? What was the other half? Where was I? When would I wake up? There were so many questions I needed answers to, so I went into the black hole without any hesitation. As soon as my body was surrounded in the darkness I saw a light ahead. I widened my eyes to find that I was no longer in a dream but was laying in the bed in the Captains tent.

The light from the sun was brighter than I had expected, telling me that I had slept late into the morning. I sat up and stretched my arms high above my head to help myself wake up. I searched the tent with my eyes and saw that I was alone. As I stood I noticed a plate filled with a hot breakfast of porridge with potatoes and ham sitting on the table. My stomach growled at the thought of food, before I knew it I had shoveled half of the plate into my mouth, completely disregarding any ladylike eating habits.

"Oh, good you are awake. I thought I may need to come and wake you soon.", Captain Tucker said as he strode into the tent and took the seat opposite from me.

I gulped down my mouth full of food and replied, "Thank you, I didn't mean to sleep so late. I have been having the strangest dreams the last few days, I guess I just didn't want to wake up to reality."

Captain Tucker looked at me with his eyebrows drawn together, "Strange dreams? What's in these dreams lass?"

"Well...", I didn't know if I should tell him, he might think I'm some crazy little girl who spends her time dreaming of living in the sea. Normally I would write my dreams down in my journal, but that was now lost at sea with the rest of the Lignum Vitae. Maybe sharing my dreams with Captain Tucker would help to put my mind at ease.

He kept his questioning gaze on me, urging me to share. Something about him made me feel like I could tell him anything, tell him everything. I truly felt like I could trust Captain Phineas Tucker. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out, gaining some courage.

"W-well it's about the sea. I am in the sea, under the water, far beneath the surface. But I'm not drowning, I am able to breathe and see everything clearly. It all feels so real...almost too real.", I took a look into the Captains eyes and continued, "My body gets covered in shimmering scales, and it glows like crystals in the sunlight. A-and I am always near this beautiful shining coral, made from all different colors."

A smile lifted in the right corner of the Captains lip, "Well now, that doesn't seem too bad. You clearly just have a passion for the sea. Something we have in common. Tis just a dream lass."

"Yes, I know I love the sea, and it is quite a lovely dream. But there is this voice, a-a woman's voice. And she is always telling me the same thing. _"Follow your heart, follow the sea."_ , I just don't understand what it means. It's always the same thing, well except last night it was a bit different.", I didn't notice that I had stood up and was suddenly close to the flap of the tent, staring out into the ocean.

The captains voice was right behind me when he spoke, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, "What was different about the voice last night, love?"

I turned around, my face was only inches away from the Captains. I could feel his breath on my skin, and it sent a shiver into the core of my belly. He was so close.

"Sh-She said _"Now you know half of your truth- Find Mulki a Okean, become Kraljica a Teku."_ , but I have no idea what those words mean and no idea what language it could be. It's probably just some made up language in my head that I created when I was a child.", I shook my head a little knowing how silly that must sound to him.

Captain Tucker took in a quick breath, "Actually no, some of those words sound African, and I think possibly Croatian."

I looked up into his emerald green eyes, they had a quizzical look in them. I could see that he was trying just as hard as I was to piece together the parts of the mystery. But he also looked as if he knew something that I didn't. Was he hiding something from me? No, he was probably just thinking how silly I am being. 

"African? Croatian? You can't be serious.", I said, still not believing his words.

"Lekan has taught me some of his mother language, I know that teku means 'sea' and mulki means 'kingdom'. I don't know much Croatian, but I do know that Kraljica means 'Queen'. The other word...okean, it must mean 'ocean'."

I don't know how he could get any closer than he already was without touching me, but somehow, he leaned in closer and looked deeply into my eyes, like he was looking into my very soul for answers.

"If I am correct, the translation roughly says, _'Find the Kingdom of the Ocean, become Queen of the Sea.'"_ , he said with his deep silky voice, like he was trying to either intimidate me or seduce me.

"WH-WHAT?", I turned around then and looked back out towards the sea, a whisper escaped my lips, "Queen of the sea..."

Captain Tucker made his way to my left side, he had not taken his eyes off me for a second. Not that I would even notice, let alone care. My thoughts were too occupied at the moment to ponder over anything else but how confused I was.

I forgot that the Captain was next to me and jumped when he spoke, "You have never heard either of those languages before, lass? How would you be able to create real words from other languages in your mind if you did not already know them? A-are you messing with me Miss Cora?"

His last words made me angry and I spat out at him, "CAPTAIN TUCKER! Excuse me sir, but I am not making up some story to mess with you. Yes, I may have a wild imagination, but I have never presumed to use it to fool with people. I am not some child trying to play a game."

I stormed out of the tent as soon as I could trying to evade the Captain, I was silently cursing the fact that you can not, in fact, successfully stomp on sand. 

Captain Tucker was hot on my heals. In just a few strides he grabbed my arm in his right hand and spun me around towards him. As soon as his hand touched my skin I felt a light vibration pulsing into my arm and bleeding into my chest. Captain Tucker must have felt something too because he suddenly dropped his grip from my arm and stared at his right hand.

After he let go of my arm, my body felt slightly weak, like a piece of my soul had just been taken out of my body and replaced with something else. It wasn't painful, but it felt empty in a way. My body felt like it was longing to be whole, and I felt a slight tugging sensation from my chest pulling an imaginary string towards Captain Tucker.

I followed my eyes to where the captain was looking on his hand. It was the hand that wore the blue stoned ring I had noticed a few days before. For a moment I could have sworn that I saw a glimmer coming from the stone ring, but it was over before I could even really see it.

Captain Tucker turned his eyes to mine and softly said, "Cora...I-I..."

He was cut off my Lekan, "Scuse' me Miss Jatau Cora, Captain. Is everything fine?"

Captain Tucker looked to his first mate then back to me, a look of slight defeat in his eyes, "Yes Lekan, do not worry yourself. But you are just the man I was hoping to see, will you please tell Miss Cora here what the words for Kingdom and Sea are in your native tongue?"

Lekan answered with some hesitation, not understanding why he was being asked this question, "Kingdom mean 'mulki' and sea is 'teku'."

Lekan's confirmation of the African words just made me more confused. So many foreign emotions were filling my body, and I didn't know how to calm them or contain them. I took a deep breath and tried to push the feelings away, but it didn't work. Instead, I spun around to face the ocean. The salty sea air tingled my nose in the light breeze. Looking out into the ocean with the reflection of the sun burning on the surface helped me to relax.

Captain Tucker brought his lips to my ear and said in a soft voice so no one else could hear him but me, "Do not speak of any of this to the crew, we don't want them spooked by you before we cast off today."

 


	8. 8

"Welcome aboard the Esmeralda, Miss Cora.", Captain Tucker said as he helped me climb up the side of the ship from the rope ladder hanging down towards the sea.

When I stepped on board I was caught by surprise. I had expected the pirate ship to be unkempt, but it was quite the opposite. The deck was clean and tidy, not at all what I expected from a pirate ship. The crew was busy getting the ship ready to cast off. It would be nearly a four day voyage to Nassau from the island.

Captain Tucker offered me his elbow, "Would you like a tour around the ship Cora?"

I placed my hand in the crook of his arm. Ever since that morning when the Captains blue stone ring touched my skin I had been even more drawn to him than I was before. I could always sense his location, even if he was many meters away. I could feel the warmth of his flesh even when we weren't touching. I felt a constant draw to him and sometimes felt myself being tugged into his direction. Any thoughts to had would always bring me back to him. His chiseled face with his neatly groomed facial hair and smoldering emerald eyes were always in my mind. What has gotten into me?

But I could feel that Captain Tucker could sense these feelings too. Whenever I looked in his direction he was always already staring at me. He had always made sure to keep a steady eye on me the last few days, but now he was acting even more protective of me than before. Lekan could see it too, I found him constantly studying me and the Captain.

Captain Tucker gave me a tour of the ship, he showed me the galley and the sleeping quarters for the crew, followed by the storage deck on the very bottom of the ship and the brig. We made our way back towards the middle deck and the Captain led me to his private quarters. The room was quite large, nearly three times the size of my father's private quarters on the Lignum Vitae. On the right side of the room there was a large dark mahogany table covered with maps and documents. The middle of the room contained the lounge chair that had been in the Captains tent on the island, surrounded by various other mismatched chairs. In the left corner of the room there was a large circular bed, covered in deep green velvet blankets and pillows. The walls were stained with a deep brown, making the room appear rather dark. The entire back wall of the room was covered in windows.

I made my way to the windows and looked out into the horizon. I looked out to the open sea and felt a mix of emotions. Just seven days ago I was caught in the largest storm I had ever seen and lost my father forever to the wrath of that storm. Just seven days ago I should have died on the Lignum Vitae, my father's most favored ship. And yet, here I was, aboard anther ship, the Esmeralda, about to cast out into the waves that stole my father from me.

But...something about looking out into the vast ocean also made me feel peace, like I was home again. The ocean was pulling at me, both my body and soul were being seduced by the mysteries of the sea. I wanted to explore all of her depths and see everything she had to offer.

But those were not the only mysteries that I felt the need to explore. Just as strong as my pull towards the ocean, was my pull to the mysterious and devilishly handsome man that stood at the other end of the room behind me. I felt as if my heart was being tugged out of my chest towards his direction. But I was doing everything in my power to stop from showing those feelings to him.

Ever since I touched that stone around his finger, my mind wouldn't stop daydreaming about Captain Tucker, even when he was standing directly in front of me. I imagined being in his arms, touching his sun kissed skin, and I longed to feel his lips brush over mine. I never, ever have had any sort of feelings like this. I have never longed to be with someone, to touch them, and share all of myself. I usually did all I could to run away from men. With the exception of my father, I did not much care for much male company.

Though I will also have to exclude Captain Tucker and his crew, I was growing very fond of the men. These men showed me respect and would actually listen to what I had to say. They shared similar interests to my own. They were free, everything that I had always longed for in life.

All my life I felt trapped inside of my body, trapped with questions of the unknown. And now, even though I had even more questions than I did before, I felt as if I was on the right path. I don't know where this path will take me, but one thing I surely know is that it somehow involved the ocean.

And Captain Phineas Tucker. I know he must be involved with my future, but first I need answers. And I feel like I might get some of those answers from Captain Tucker. He has been staring at me with longing in his eyes all day. I know it has to do with the stone, but something about his look makes me feel like he knows what is really going on with everything. When the ring touched my skin, he didn't look nearly as surprised as I had.

I kept my gaze on the water, but I could suddenly feel the Captain right beside me. The right side of my body started to feel warm and slightly fuzzy.

"Cora.", he spoke.

I turned my head towards him and we locked eyes. I could see the desire building up as he looked at me from top to bottom. Strong butterflies started to build deep in my belly.

He cleared his throat briefly, keeping his eyes locked with mine, "You may take my bed for the remainder of your journey with us. I will take the lounge until I am able to find something more suitable to sleep on."

When he finished his eyes were staring longingly at my lips. It made me wonder what it would be like to have his lips on mine and on other parts of my skin. Then I looked towards the entrance of the room and realized that the door was closed, and we were alone in Captain Tucker's private quarters.

"Thank you, Captain, but I feel horrible for making you sleep on that lounge for so many nights. Please, I will take the lounge and you must take your bed. It is the least I can do for everything you have done for me thus far.", I replied, honestly feeling horrible for taking his bed away for so long.

Then he took a step towards me, shrinking the distance between us, "Or, we could both sleep in the bed.", his eyes were smoldering into mine, "And I told you Cora, when we are alone call me Phineas."

My cheeks quickly went red, "B-both of us? Wh-why I-I don't think that would be appropriate Captain."

He licked his lips, just inches away from my face, "Call me Phineas."

The butterflies were in my throat now, causing me to speak in a whisper, "Phineas."

The moment I spoke his name, he closed the distance between us and placed his lips on mine in a soft kiss. It felt warm and inviting, it felt good. This was my first kiss, and it was everything and more than I had ever imagined it to be.

Phineas briefly broke away and looked into my eyes, "I have been wanting to do that all day. Cora, we have much to discuss."

I was speechless. His lips felt so amazing on mine, I wanted them back where they were. My chest was swelling with emotion and the pull to the Phineas was much stronger now, I needed more. My body was begging for more. My desire created a surge of courage in me and I grabbed the back of his neck with my hand and pulled him back to my lips.

This time he kept the kiss going, urging my lips to open and let his tongue slide against mine. The feeling of his tongue in my mouth made me hungry with passion. I pushed my body as tightly against his as I could and dared to let my tongue dance in his mouth. Phineas grabbed my waist in his hands and pulled me into him then wrapped his strong arms around me. I slid my hands under his jacket and ran my hands up and down the muscles on his back.

He growled and nibbled lightly on my lower lip, sending a wave of pleasure down my body. I couldn't help but moan. The pull to him was pushing me to go forward, I wouldn't be able to stop if he hadn't moved and held me slightly away from him.

"Cora, we must stop.", he said in a pleading tone.

"But why? Why do we have to stop? I don't want to.", I said trying to pull him towards me again. I could see how hard he was trying to hold himself back, I just didn't understand why.

He laughed at me, "Just moments ago you were telling me that it would not be appropriate to share my bed, now you can not take your hands off of me."

He was right, what the devil was wrong with me? I know it wasn't right for an unwed lady to act this way... but I didn't care. My soul was telling me that I needed him.

"Cora, please. We must talk before we go any further. I need you to know what this means.". Phineas kept his firm grip on me.

I was so confused, but I knew that he had more information to what was happening, and I needed to know. I tried to fight my desires and keep my composure. He could feel my gain of control and loosened his grip on my arms. He slid his hands down my arms and took my hands into his.

"Cora, love. You have to understand this is hard for me too, I want nothing more than to rip all of your clothes off and have you here and now.", he hesitated, trying to fight his desires, "Though I am a pirate I am still a gentleman, and I can not just take your maidenhood without first explaining what happened to us today."

He was right. I still had my maidenhood in-tact. But still that didn't seem to matter to me anymore, not with him standing in front of me looking like a pirate God. 

"Then please Phineas, tell me. Because I feel like I will lose control any second, I don't have control over my body right now. I need you, I don't know why but I just do and that is the only thing I am completely sure of right now."

His eyes softened at my words, "Aye lass, just let me explain."

He took me over to the edge of the bed and we both took a seat. I was anxious for him to tell me the truth of what was happening, the silence felt like it was going on forever, I just wanted to jump on him and throw him on the bed and feel his hard body against mine.

"Now Cora, I can't tell you all of the answers that you seek. But I can tell you the few things that I do know. I grew up always thinking that my mother died in during my childbirth. My father raised me in Port Royal. He was Admiral to the Royal Navy; your father was stationed under him. After the Earthquake when Port Royal sank beneath the waves, my father showed me my truth. My mother had not actually died, but she is a sea Goddess. She is in command of all of the various mammals living in the sea."

The name came to my lips without a second thought, "Sedna."

Phineas' eyes widened in surprise, "How did you know her name?"

I shook my head slightly, I was taken a back by my own words, "When I was younger I had an imaginary friend who lived in the sea. Her name was Sedna. I always thought she had just come from my imagination. But she is real? And, and she is your.... mother?"

"Yes...", he studied my eyes closely, "Cora this is remarkable...she must have known that it was you, all this time.", he said, his shoulders gently shaking with laughter.

"That what was me? What do you mean Phineas?"

He lifted his hand to me, the one with the blue stone ring on his finger, "My mother gave me this ring. She said that it would connect me with the one who I was destined to be with. Once it was placed on my finger, I have never been able to take it off. The only one who can take it off is the one whom I am to spend my life with. It is intended to be a wedding ring to my wife."

My eyes met his for a moment and then looked at the ring. I touched it with my finger and the clouded blue stone started to glow. I gasped and pulled my hand away, the glow slowly faded away from the stone.

"It is made from coral. And it is the exact same shade of your eyes.", Phineas spoke and lifted my chin, so he could look into my eyes, "The name 'Coraline', If I am not mistaken, means 'coral'."

I nodded, "It does.", I wanted to say more, but I couldn't find the words at first. Everything he just said was way beyond what I could have imagined. But it also felt right, I knew he was telling the truth. I could sense that Phineas was waiting for me to speak my mind, or to ask any questions that I had.

"So.... What you're saying is that I am to be your wife?"

He nodded.

"And you are a sea God? Does your crew know?"

His eyebrows drew together, "No, well Lekan knows everything, but none of the crew know and they can not. If they knew, they most likely would not trust me as Captain. We would have a mutiny on our hands. Pirates are very superstitious, and my men are no exception. As for what I am. I am not a god, at least not yet. I do have some power, I can breathe under water. But my true powers will not come to me until it is my time. I don't know when that will be, that is just what my mother shared with me."

Then he took my hands and placed a kiss over each knuckle before saying, "But you Cora, you are destined to be something more entirely. I think the voice in your dreams was telling you your truth. I believe you are to become Kraljica a Teku, Queen of the Sea."

"Wh-WHAT?", I was shocked, my mouth hanging open, "I can not be Queen of the Sea. My father didn't have any special sea powers, and my mother, well I don't know anything about her. Except that she may have been African. How can any of this be true?"

"Cora, I think your father did have some lineage that came from the sea. His eyes, like yours, are a sign of someone who has the blood of the Gods in them.", Phineas said, trying to convince me.

I wondered, "Like how your eyes are the most magnificent shade of emerald green that I have ever seen? They look like magic."

"And so, do yours Cora. Like crystals shining in the sunlight."

He was right, everything he had said was right. I could feel it in my blood. The more I learned of the truth, the more I felt the magic growing in my body.

I narrowed my eyes to the Captain and gave him a seductive look, "So, now that I know the truth am I allowed to touch you? When am I to be your wife?"

Phineas gulped, "Well, did you not say the other day that you will be eighteen next month? We will not be able to wed until then. I remember my mother saying that the bond can only take place after the eighteenth birthday."

My shoulders slumped, "So I won't be able to touch you until then? That's nearly four weeks away! Just being this far away from you right now feels like torture."

He laughed at me, pity showing on his face. "My dear Cora, I did not say that you could not touch me. I would not be able to hold myself back from touching this pale skin of yours. Since the moment I saw you swimming in the shallows of the island I have been dreaming of touching your skin."

He traced his thumb along my lips and along my jaw and said, "But I do think we should at least be properly engaged before we attempt to copulate, don't you agree?"

He took the opportunity to bend down on one knee in front of me, "Miss Coraline Lignum Ashton, I know we have not known one another long and being a pirate, I am not in the profession to properly court a lady. But given the circumstances I believe we can toss all the typical rules out the window. Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

Phineas held his right hand up to me, it was shining from the passion in his proposal. I had known this man for only five days now, and he was asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. And not just spend my life with him, but possibly also as Queen of the Sea. I was not completely sure about the Queen part, but I knew accepting his hand was the right thing to do. Every fiber in my body was screaming yes!

"Captain Phineas Tucker, I will gladly become your wife.", I took his hand and gently removed the glowing coral ring from his fingers, "Though I have only known you for a few days, I know in my heart that a life by your side is where I am meant to be. I feel it in my soul and in my heart."

I took the ring and slid it onto my left ring finger. For a moment the ring glowed a mix of green and blue before it faded. The ring was different now. Before it had been purely made up of ice blue coral, now the very top of the ring had a faint green sheen to it. I felt whole, the tugging in my body subsided and was replaced with warmth in my heart.

Phineas stood up and pulled me into his arms, swinging me around in a circle, "I am the luckiest man in the world. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever set eyes on. I promise to be a loving and loyal husband to you Cora."


	9. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT.

I am engaged. I am engaged to a handsome Captain of a pirate ship. I am engaged to the son of the Sea Goddess Sedna. I am engaged!

Phineas was spinning me around in a circle, euphoric from our engagement only moments ago. He stopped and gently let my feet touch back down to the floor of the ship. He leaned into me and kissed me fully on the lips.

He pulled away and said, “Cora, my love, would you like to consummate this engagement?”, he brought his gaze to mine, “I have been waiting most of my life for you and for this moment, but I can wait longer you wish it.”

I was touched, he didn’t want to force me into his bed. He was so kind and gentle for a man who was so tough and commanding. He was stealing my heart, and I wanted to give him all of me in return for his love.

I gently smiled, “Phineas, I do not want to wait. I wish to be with you in every way possible.”, I paused for a moment, my cheeks lightly began to flush pink, “I-I have never done anything like this before, I do not have any experience.”

He grinned with a devious look in his eyes, “I am glad that I get you all to myself then.”, his smile dimmed lightly, “It will hurt at first, but I promise it does get better. I will do everything that I can to cause you the least amount of pain.”

I placed my hand on his chest, over his heart and said, “I trust you.”

Just then I felt the sway of the waves, we had started on our voyage to Nassau. I was so infatuated with Phineas that I forgot momentarily that he was the Captain of a large pirate ship. His crew must be needing him and here I was keeping him to myself.

“Phineas! I am so selfish!”, I lightly pushed away from him, “You should be up on deck instructing your crew. Surely they are missing you.”

He chuckled, “Nothing, absolutely nothing, could pull me away from you right now.”, his eyes were trailing all over my body and he started to remove his jacket and vest, “I will not rush away from the chance to make love to the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, to the woman who will soon become my wife.”

It was hard to respond while he was tugging at the fabric on his body, removing it to reveal the body of a God underneath. He undid the last button on his shirt and said, “No need to worry, Lekan knows all of my secrets, he will cover for me tonight.”

I could not stand back anymore, I rushed to him and placed my hands on his bare chest, working my fingers down his skin over his stomach and back up to his shoulders. He felt like he was made of warm granite, his touch sending heat through my fingers. I pulled the shirt over his shoulders and let the fabric fall down to the floor.

He stopped me when I went for his trousers, “Not so fast love, you seem to still have all of your clothing on. It only seems fair that we remove some.”

I suddenly felt hot in my dress and skirts. What the hell was I doing with all of these clothes on. In a flash I untied the front panels of my dress and skirts and let them fall to the floor. I stood in my stockings, boots, corset, and chemise; it is the barest I have ever been in front of a man. But I was still wearing too much. Clothing seems completely unnecessary at the moment.

Phineas grabbed my waist and pulled me into him. He took my lips with his and invited my tongue to dance with his. He broke away and started to trail kisses down my cheek to my ear and down my neck. He would leave little nibbles and my body would shutter in desire. A soft moan escaped my lips as he started to lightly suck on my neck.

His lips left my neck and he spun me around to undo the laces of my corset. He took his time, leaving light kisses on my shoulders and his fingers grazed my back with the satin laces. The final lace came undone and the corset fell to the floor. I chemise was very thin, it didn’t hide a thing.

I could feel his eyes roaming over the back half of my body, drinking in every detail, “Magnificent, you are truly a rare beauty.”

I turned around to find him pulling off his boots, I bent down and died the same, pulling the laces out as fast as I could. I pulled my stockings off, leaving me in only my chemise.

Phineas was still in his trousers. I was longing to see what was hidden beneath the fabric. My governess had told me descriptions of what a man looked like in his privates. She said I should know what to expect, so I didn’t get nervous on my wedding night. Little did she know I would not be waiting for my wedding night to see my future husband.

He must have read my mind because he started to unfasten his belt and unbutton his trousers. Slowly he pulled his trousers and undergarments down to his ankles and stepped his feet out of them. The descriptions my governess had given me were not at all comparable to what stood before me.

I took my time to study every inch, every crevice of his body. He was the image of pure masculine beauty. His tall form was muscular but also lean, his muscles stretched under his golden skin. His heart was pumping, I knew because the veins popped out all over his body. It was intoxicating. His manhood was large, larger than I expected it to be, though I had nothing to compare it to, but the weak description given to me by my governess. I was slightly surprised but it didn’t look scary to me as I thought it would, the skin looked fragile and soft.

My eyes were glued to him, the sun was lower in the sky and the orange rays were glowing off his sun kissed skin. The orange sun danced with the emeralds in his eyes, making him even more seductive. He was perfect, I never knew anyone could be so breathtaking. I felt my insides burning with lust. While I was staring at him I noticed a trace of fluid forming between my legs. I didn’t know if it was normal or not, so I quickly used my hand to cover the area.

Phineas noticed my hesitation and questioned me, “Why so shy all of a sudden? We still have one last item to remove.”, he reached for my chemise and started to pull it up my body.

I lifted my arms and let his pull the fabric over my head. I was completely nude. I moved my hand back over the spot between my legs, starting to feel it creeping down the top of my thighs.

He reached towards my hand and pulled it away from my body and placed it on his chest, “Why are you hiding your flower from me love?”

I could feel the blood raising in my cheeks, “I, well there is some of fluid coming from there and I don’t know if that is alright or not, I don’t know what is normal.”

I saw the lust building even hotter in his eyes, “Cora, nothing about you will ever be normal. You are a Goddess. But do not worry, that fluid is a good thing. It is your body getting ready for me.”

He pulled my body up against his and took my lips in his. The touch of his skin against mine made my mind relax and focus on the God of a man in front of me. Phineas lifted me up against his chest and carried me to the bed. He laid me down gently and began to trail kisses and nibbles around my breasts. He sucked my nipple into his mouth and lightly scraped his teeth on the tip. The sensation sent a shiver down my body and I could feel the wet heat between my legs start to leak out of me even more.

Phineas moved his hand to the spot between my legs, and I let out a loud cry of pleasure. His fingers played with my skin and I could feel pressure starting to build up within my body. He slowly slid a finger inside of me and began to move in and out. The feeling was unlike any I had experienced before. I had never understood the fuss about lovemaking, but that was before I had known that it felt like this.

Phineas brought his lips to my neck and whispered into my ear, “Cora you are so beautiful.”

He slid another finger into me and I could feel myself stretching around his fingers. A pressure was building at a steady pace, and I knew that it would somehow need to be released soon. Uncontrollably, I started to move my hips to help his fingers go deeper inside of me. I needed release, the pressure was becoming too much. I rocked my hips faster and called out, “Phineas” as the pressure was finally released, spilling out and sending waves of pleasure throughout my body. It was euphoric. The waves slowly started to dwindle, and my body went limp on the bed.

Phineas held himself above me and looked into my eyes, “How was that my Kraljica?”

I was speechless, I could not find one word in response to his question.

He smiled, “Don’t worry love, we are only halfway there. I just wanted you to be nice and relaxed before I take you.”

I finally found some words, “Please Phineas, I’m ready.”

He lowered himself and brushed his lips with mine, willing my lips to part and let his tongue dance with mine. He pressed his lower body against mine and pulled my hips into his, placing his hard penis against my open legs. I felt the passion being ignited within my body once again.

Phineas pulled his lips away from mine and looked into my eyes, “This may hurt a bit, just try to relax.”

I nodded in return and took a deep breath, waiting for him to enter me. By the time I released the air from my lungs he was inside of me. Phineas let out a moan, and I was in love with the fact that my body made him feel that way. There was a sharp discomfort at first, but it quickly replaced with pleasure. Feeling him inside of me felt like magic, he was reaching places that left my body radiating with lust.

His hips were moving back and forth, moving himself in and out of me. I could feel the pressure starting to build up inside of me again. I needed to find that release, to feel that euphoria while he was inside of me. I moved my hands over his body and pulled his hips towards me, urging him to go deeper. He couldn’t seem to hold himself back any longer and started to move faster and deeper inside of me. Within moments I was crying out his name, my release taking over my entire body. My cries pulled him over the edge with me, and he was groaning with the pleasure of his own release.

I could feel my heart beat throughout my entire body, my blood pulsing through my veins mixed with adrenaline. I felt love pouring out of my heart and into Phineas. I felt our connection deepen, we had truly become one.

Phineas was panting hard laying over me but still holding himself up to not crush me. He shifted his weight and laid down behind me, pulling me into his arms. I felt warm and safe, I felt truly loved. And I also felt a thick fluid pouring out from between my legs. I knew that it must be normal, or else Phineas wouldn’t be as relaxed as he was. No one ever told me how messy lovemaking was, but I couldn’t care in the least. My heart was filled with love. I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the embrace of my fiancé, Captain Phineas Tucker.

His warm breath whispered into my ear, “Cora, my love, my Kraljica, I can not wait to spend my life with you. You truly are a Goddess.”


	10. 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains explicit sexual content.

I awoke a few hours later in the dim cabin softly lit by candlelight. The ship was gently swaying with the sea. I was laying bare naked, sprawled across the green velvet duvet on the bed. I turned my head to see Phineas lying on his side, head propped up by his arm, and his eyes wide open.

His emerald gaze made my heart flutter. I lightly wiped my eyes and stretched my arms. Surprisingly I did not rush to cover myself from Phineas, I wanted him to see all of me, to see me for me. There was no doubt in my mind that I was his completely, and he was mine.

“Kraljica, you are awake.”, Phineas spoke with his deep voice as he placed two of his fingers on my breast bone and began to lightly trace them along my body. The feeling made my nipples harden with arousal. I could see the desire building in his eyes as he saw how my body was reacting to his touch.

“Phineas.” I whispered, and then his mouth was on me. He kissed me with need, like a drunkard downing his ale after a long day. His touch was warm and sensual. He drifted his lips to my neck and began to nip and suck, whenever he touched that spot I became completely undone. I let out a soft moan, enjoying his kisses.

He brought his lips to my ear and spoke, “For the last few hours your beautiful naked body has been teasing me, I had to fight so many times not to wake you just to take you again.”

I took in a sharp breath and tried to match the seductive tone in his voice, “Why didn’t you just cover me up then, Captain?”

He smirked, “Oh I wouldn’t dare cover up such an enchanting beauty, one which has clearly been sent to me from the Gods. Such a gift must always be cherished.”

I was extremely aroused, addicted to his touch and his sensual words. He was praising me as a Queen, and it felt good. Phineas laid on the bed next to me and turned me so I my back was pressed up against his chest. I was about the protest when I felt his arousal just outside of my entrance. I didn’t know that he would be able to enter me from other positions.

He wrapped his arms around me, the one underneath came to caress my breast, and the other went to my hip to pull me closer into him. Being in his embrace in his soft golden skin made me melt into him. He brought his erection to my entrance and slowly slid into me. The new position let him push deeper into me than he had the first time.

His lips were at my neck, kissing and nibbling my flesh as he moved into me. Both of his hands moved to my hips to hold me in place, allowing him to get as deep as he possibly could. The movements were slow, but they were deep and passionate. I felt I was nearing my release, and I grabbed onto the duvet with all my might. I couldn’t contain the moans from escaping my lips. I knew I should be quiet, so the crew would not hear me, but lost in the passion of the moment I didn’t care in the slightest who heard me.

Phineas brought one of his hands from my waist to the spot between my legs, and he started to trace his fingers gently over the top of my privates. The touch added more pleasure and brought me immediately into my release. He pushed into me a little harder then, and let his seed melt into me.

Both of us were left panting and in a momentary loss of words. We laid there, in one another’s arms, enjoying the feel of the other’s skin. He traced his fingers along my back and neck as I traced mine along his arms and fingers. I took the time to breathe in his scent. It was salty, like sea water, but mixed with a sweet almost floral scent. It was intoxicating and made my heart feel full with love.

Neither one of us had yet told the other that we loved them. Though we had been destined to be together, we still did not really know the other. I knew I loved him, and I could feel his love for me, but I knew it would take time for us to fully fall in love with one another.

There must be secrets that I do not know about yet. For instance, it was very clear to me that he was well crafted in the art of lovemaking. There was no doubt in my mind that he had quite a few companions in his life before me. I decided to push those thoughts away for the moment and just enjoy being loved by the God of a man behind me.

We must have laid like that for nearly half an hour before we both got up to wash. Phineas offered me a dark blue velvet robe, it was clearly a woman’s robe, I slightly narrowed my eyes when I took it from him. Who did this belong to?

He noticed my hesitation, “I brought a few ladies garments from our treasures on board for you. I thought you may want a few options for your wardrobe while aboard the Esmeralda.”

I slipped the robe on and tied it around my waist, it was a perfect fit and felt quite comfortable. I could tell that no one else had worn it before me.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that.”, I thought for a moment before continuing, “So now that we are engaged, and soon to be married, does that mean the Esmeralda will be my home as well?”

He was pulling his under garments and trousers up as he answered me, “Well most pirate Captains would stash their wife, or wives, away on land somewhere. The sea is not the typical place for a lady.”, he pulled his black shirt over his head before he continued, “But you, my dear Cora, are not a typical lady. Somehow you are destined to be the Queen of the Sea. Your place will always belong in the sea, and I will always be by your side wherever this life takes us. So yes, I would say the Esmeralda would be _our_ home for the time being.”

I smiled wide, “Good. Now what are we going to tell the crew?”, a blush came to my cheeks, “I am sure every man in this ship heard me screaming out your name tonight.”

He chuckled, “Aye, I’m sure all the rats heard you too.”, he raised one of his eyebrows, “I am surprised no one is busting down the door trying to worship you at your feet. The sounds you make while I make love to you are like the calling song of a siren. It is the most wonderful thing I have ever heard in my life.”

I laughed then, “Well if I really am to be Queen of the Sea, maybe I do have a sirens song inside of me.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment.”, he said as he slowly walked towards me.

Once he was in front of me I felt hungry for his lips, but I also felt hungry for food. Right then, my stomach let out a low growl. It was deep into the night and I hadn’t eaten anything, except for the kisses left on my lips from Phineas.

“I had some dinner brought for us while you were sleeping, why don’t we sit down to supper?”, Phineas took my hand and lace his fingers into mine, leading me to the table now filled with food.

I sat down at the table and took an apple from a bowl filled with various fruits, “You had all of this brought in while I was sleeping naked on your bed?”

Phineas corrected me with a teasing smile, “No, I had the food brought to the door and I set it up on the table myself. And it is _our_ bed now.”

I took a bite of the apple and smiled, I liked the sound of ’ _our’_ , “I see. So, what about the crew then? Surely, they will not take kindly to a woman living on board indefinitely. Especially a woman who also happens to be some sort of sea creature.”

“They do not need to know that you are a sea _Goddess_ , they do not know that I have blood of the gods running in my veins. We will keep that part of our lives a secret for now.”, he gathered me a plate of food and set it down in front of me with a goblet of spiced wine, “As for the rest. They will know we are engaged, and they will love and accept you, or they will be dismissed.”

I didn’t want him to have to dismiss anyone for me, “But Phineas, I cannot let you lose your men for me.”

He snapped at me, “Cora you will be my wife. I will not tolerate any type of disrespect shown towards you. I will protect and defend you against everything, even if it could mean my death.”

My head jerked back and I said in a sharp tone, “Phineas, how could you say such a thing? I am not some helpless woman who sits on the sidelines. If I had a proper weapon and was shown how to use it properly, I am very sure I could defend myself! I am not a child!”

He laughed so hard I thought he would spit out his wine, “Oh my love, I have no doubt in that. I think it would be a good idea for you to be familiar with one on one combat, you are on a pirate ship after all, we do frequently get into battle.”, he took a bite of bread before he spoke again, “Regardless of your abilities to defend yourself, I vow to always protect you with my life. You are my destiny Cora, I was made to protect you; your body, your soul, and your heart.”

Ever since that morning, ever since we found our fated connection, Phineas spoke towards me with so much passion. I could feel him bearing his heart to me without any hesitation. He had said he learned about his destiny after the earthquake, I remember from the day I met him that he revealed that he was eight years old during that time. He had been waiting to find his destined wife for seventeen years now, that was a lifetime for some people.

I had only found out about our destined love that afternoon, he had been waiting for me for seventeen years. I couldn’t help but imagine how lonely that must have been for him. To know that you have someone out in the world who you know you are destined to be with, but you don’t know who they are or when they will come. I never really dreamed of love or finding love. Men seemed so tiring to me, and they all wanted was for me to sit at home and be some housewife. But I longed for more in life, I wanted adventure.

I had heard the saying before, _“Be careful what you wish for...”_ , and it was never more true than in my current situation. I always dreamed of the deep and mysterious sea, longed for an adventure that would give my life meaning…well my dreams had clearly been answered. Supposedly, I was some type of sea creature, I remember Phineas calling his mother a Fairymaid, and that my father must have had some Fairymaid blood too. But why didn’t my father know about his bloodline? And what of my mother? Phineas and Lekan were convinced that I had African blood in my veins from my thick hair texture, large lips, and wide-set face; despite my pale pink skin.

I couldn’t help but wonder how I was destined to become Queen of the Sea, wouldn’t I need to be the daughter of the King and Queen of the sea? Not that I knew who those beings were or how to find them…my mind was suddenly flooded with a memory of the dream from the night before…the opening in the middle of the coral, that must be some entrance to a kingdom in the sea. But I have no idea where that was or how to find it, plus I can’t breathe under water…or, could I? Phineas had mentioned that he had some powers, that he could breathe underwater. Maybe I could do that too.

I had been lost in thought for some time, slowly eating my food until I was full. My mind was starting to hurt from thinking too hard about all of my unanswered questions.

“I know all of this must be very shocking to you. You have learned so much today, things only spoken of in folklore and fairytales.”, he pulled me out of my head before I got too lost.

“Yes, I still don’t know what to make of everything, but I must try to find answers somehow. I just wish I knew where I am meant to start my search for those answers.”, I replied, still trying to fit the pieces together.

Phineas bent across the table and took my hand in his, bringing my attention to his glowing emerald eyes, “Cora, do not forget that I am here for you love. We will take this journey together. Your destiny is my destiny now as well eh?”, he leaned in closer with relaxed features, “You know, I have found quite a bit of advice from my dreams. It seems perhaps you may have this gift as well, especially if you consider our conversation this morning.”

I took a deep breath and let it out quickly, “Alright. I trust your judgement. Answers will come in time.”, I smiled and just tried to accept my fate, our fate. Nothing could possibly go wrong on our journey, we were meant to become Gods, after all.


	11. 11

The next two days passed fairly quick. Captain Tucker made an announcement to the crew on our first morning at sea, informing them of our recent engagement and that I would be the mistress of the Esmeralda. He made it clear that any man who was not okay with the new arrangements was free to leave and any man who paid any disrespect to his future wife would be _dismissed_. I had a feeling that the underlying meanings for each choice was death.

The majority of the men seemed genuinely happy for their Captain. While there were still some men who were weary of the presence of a woman on board, they were likely too scared to reveal their true feelings for fear of being cast overboard in the open sea. I studied the men from afar to gauge their reactions, there was one in particular who I could see was uneasy towards me.

I remember meeting him, an African man in his late thirties named Kwasi who was brought over on a slave ship, he escaped when the ship was shipwrecked by a storm. Lekan had told me that he was raised in a family of medicine men who were known to practice black magic. I could see the amount of respect that Lekan held for Kwasi. But he seemed very weary of me, he was always studying me closely. I felt like he knew all my secrets just by looking into my eyes. All I could do was hope he wouldn’t reveal any secrets he might know to the other men.

To celebrate our engagement, the crew proceeded to get fairly drunk both day and night those couple of days. Their happy drunk moods helped to lighten the tension of a woman being on board. There were times that I felt sort of helpless. The crew, as well as Captain Tucker, were busy most of the time with keeping the ship tidy and sailing smoothly. I wanted to help, to learn how to sail the Esmeralda that was now my home. It was clear, however, that my heavy dress and big skirts would prevent me from doing that type of physical work.

Phineas kept his promise and took time to teach me some fighting techniques. He gave me a few weapons to choose from. I was drawn to a matching pair of blades, they curved slightly and were rather light to hold. I picked one up in each hand and knew they were my weapon of choice.

Phineas raised an eyebrow at me when he saw my choice of weapon, “Those seem to suit you. Welding dual blades can be comparable to a dance, there is a lot of footwork involved. You will need to get close to your opponent to strike them.”

I had always been light on my feet and was an adequate dancer. Dancing was the only good part about going to balls back in London. While dancing I didn’t have to talk, I could just move with the music and let the night fade by in peace.

We practiced on deck in the late afternoon, a few of the men had gathered to watch the show. I pushed my shy feelings away and went into my lesson without any hesitation. These men were my living companions, they were my fiancé’s crew, and would be my crew soon as well. I wanted them to view me as a leader and an equal. I didn’t want them to think I was some useless woman who would need to be protected all the time.

I did as best as I could to follow the steps instructed by Captain Tucker, but my dress kept getting in the way. I was starting to get frustrated with the heavy fabric. Phineas used my skirts to his advantage, as I went to take a step back to block his next blow, he stepped on the hem of my skirt and prevented my movement.

I yelled in frustration, “Blast this bloody dress!”, then I yelled at Phineas, “And damn you to Hell, you bloody bastard. You did that on purpose!”

The crew went silent and stared at me wide eyed, clearly, they were not used to hearing a lady speak with such rough language. Phineas, however, couldn’t contain his laughter. He was hunched over from laughing so hard. The crew started to pick up on the laughter, and suddenly I was laughing along with them.

Phineas pulled me into him and said, “I think we will need to find you more suitable ensembles for your new practices as a pirate, don’t you think?”

 A brilliant thought came into my mind, “Do you have any sewing materials on board? I could make something out of the dresses you brought on board for me.” I was very skilled with a needle, most of my free time spent on my father’s ships and at home was spent with a needle and thread.

Phineas nodded, “I shall have the materials sent to our cabin.”, he bent down and planted a light kiss on my lips then spoke into my ear, “Your dress is getting in the way of many things at the moment.”, he took my hand and started to lead me towards our cabin, “Come, lets free you from it.”

Phineas and I had been inseparable, glued to each other at all times. He made a point to leave kisses on my lips or neck frequently throughout the day, teasing me with his seductive touch. His eyes were always on me, as mine were mostly on him. Sometimes the desire became too strong, and he would lead me to our cabin and take his time to make love to me. I never objected, I was constantly craving his touch.

\--

Later that evening as I was rummaging through my dresses and things to adjust my wardrobe, when I suddenly heard a cannon fire. It was loud, but it sounded as if it came from a short distance away. It was from another ship! I few moments later I heard another cannon, this one was louder, closer this time. Phineas had been out on the deck for the last hour.

Someone came to the outside of the cabin door and knocked, “Miss Jatau, Miss Cora, please arm yourself. We goin into battle.”, It was Lekan.

I jumped up and found my daggers, then I posted myself next to the door. And looked though the small window opening out on the main deck. Suddenly the ship started to rumble with the force of cannons firing. My heart started pumping, this was the first battle I had ever been in. I had heard cannons fire as a means of communication between ships, but never had I heard them fired for battle.

Cannons started erupting from the other ship, and I could hear the explosions of the Esmeralda ship being wounded by the blasts. I was praying that her damage was minimal and in return would bring down her opponent. I could hear commands being called out by Phineas and being relayed around the rest of the ship by the crew. I started to see the other ship coming closer into view beside us. They were preparing to board us, or perhaps it was the other way around? I could not see much from my small window. I did not even know who we were fighting, I couldn’t see their colors. Were they pirates too? Or someone else, like the Royal Navy?

I started to hear shots of gunfire and the metal clash of swords. I heard a familiar voice yell out, “Lekan, protect Cora.”, I heard a response a little closer, “Aye, Captain.”

So, I was just expected to stay here like some locked up damsel? Rage suddenly started to rise inside of me. I wanted to fight for what was mine just like everyone else out there was. Without any hesitation I flung the door open and stormed out into the battle on deck. I could see that our opponents were indeed pirates, their dirty ripped up clothing was a dead giveaway.

One of the crew was in front of me, in combat with one of the enemy pirates. His opponent saw me and said, “Oy, there is some treasure on this ship I see. Hand ov’r the wench and I’ll let ye live lad.”

The enemy pirate had not seen the weapons in my hands. He fought in a way that somehow maneuvered himself right in front of me, his back towards me. I took the opportunity and brought both of my daggers into his sides, under the ribs like Phineas taught me. I pulled my blades out and the pirate fell to the floor.

The man from my crew looked at me wide eyed. I took the moment to look down at my hands, holding the now blood-stained daggers. I had just killed someone with these hands. Shock began to take over my body and I felt momentarily lost. But I was woken from my daze by a low bellow coming from the planks connecting the ships.

“Captain Tucker! Where are ye, ya bastard! Oy, where are ye Tucker?”, said an older pirate. He was tall, but round. His beard was long with streaks of grey lining his once black hair. He wore a patch over his right eye and his face looked like it was made from worn out leather, no doubt from a life spent on the unforgiving sea.

I gained my courage back when I realized that this man wanted nothing more but the death of my beloved. He had vowed to protect me, but I knew that if it came to it, I would do everything in my power to protect him too. A couple men came at me and were surprised to watch me bring my daggers towards their flesh. I used their surprise to my advantage and stabbed one in the belly. When I turned towards the other man I found that he was already laying on the floor, Lekan standing over the dead body.

Lekan looked at me and smiled, “You learn quick, Jatau.”

I smiled back and went back towards the fighting. More enemy pirates had boarded the Emeralda, but our crew was doing a very good job of defending her, they had been trained well. A short fat man tried to grab my arm, instead I let my dagger slice through the inside of his hand.

He stumbled back and called out, “Curse you, you wicked whore! I will make you pay for that!”, he gained his footing and came at me with his sword. I took a step back and his blade missed my body but caught the top of my skirts. He pulled the blade down and my skirts were split in half down the front. I only had under garments and stockings on beneath. Despite slight exposure, I was suddenly able to move a little more freely. I dodged the next swing of his sword and spun around, kneeling down and forcing my daggers up into his ribs.

The fat man fell, presenting right in front of me, the man who was calling to fight Phineas earlier. He saw me and smiled, “Well, what do we ‘ave here?”, I stood up to hold my ground but was pulled backwards and behind a tall familiar figure. Phineas had placed himself between me and the man.

“Oy, Captain Tucker, I ‘ave been looking for ye.”, the man spoke.

“Well, here I am Captain Daniels.”, Phineas replied coolly, “What do you want?”

I knew that man must have been the captain of the enemy pirate ship. He held himself with authority. The fighting between the pirates ceased for the moment to hear what the two pirate Captains were talking about.

“Ye know what I want, Tucker. Tell me where yer loot is.”, Captain Daniels commanded.

Phineas stood his ground, “And why would I do that?”

Captain Daniels walked closer, “Because, I think you value your life and the life of these here scallywags you call a crew.”, he motioned to the men around him, “Tell me where ye keep yer loot,”, his eyes traveled over me, “and give me the feisty wench, and I jus might let you and yer crew live.”

I could feel Phineas tense as Captain Daniels threatened me. I could feel the heat from his body getting warmer from the rage building up in his body. I could feel some type of power building up inside of him.

“If you knew what was best for you, you would not disrespect my intended, _Captain_.”, Phineas said with a hiss in his tone.

Captain Daniels let out a bellowing laugh, “Yer intended? You? The _great_ Captain P Tucker, is engaged? Ha, tis a great joke! Must be! Or the wench has herself a magic cunt.”, he said as he licked his lips.

Phineas was about to snap; his blood was boiling. I placed a hand on his shoulder and he instantly began to ease his tension under my touch. He was able to think clearly again, but his anger still won the battle inside of him. He took my hand from his shoulder and brought it to his lips, quickly looking in my eyes before he dropped my hand and turned towards Captain Daniels.

“I warned you Daniels, _do not_ disrespect my Kraljica.”, he was too quick for Captain Daniels, and he struck his hand sending his sword to the floor. A moment later he had Captain Daniels by the throat. He carried him, with great ease, to the edge of the ship. Captain Daniels must have seen the devils rage in Phineas’ eyes, for he started to beg and plead for him to spare his life.

But Captain P Tucker was not to be trifled with, especially when it came to the woman he loved. Phineas brought his sword under Captain Daniels’ throat and slashed a deep slice to his throat, then he tossed him overboard. Everyone was speechless, myself included. Yeah, we were fighting in a battle and killing men, but Phineas just killed Captain Daniels in front of his own men without a second thought. It was quite brutal, even for pirates.

Phineas looked around to the men, every single man looked at him with admiration and fear, “Now,”, he said to the enemy pirate crew, “I trust you have someone among your crew who would be suitable to Captain your vessel. Let this be a warning to you men, do not dare to penetrate my ship, or my lady ever again. Anyone who does so,”, he looked around to each and every man including his own crew, “will suffer the consequences.”

Without a second thought, the enemy pirates boarded their ship and made their leave. Captain Tucker assessed the damage done to the Esmeralda from battle. It was not bad, and repairs were quickly under way. Once the crew was set upon their tasks of repairing and replenishing the ship, Phineas brought me to our cabin to check me for any injuries.


	12. 12

As soon as the lock on the door to our cabin sounded with a ‘click’ Phineas picked me up and carried me to the bed. He set me down as gently and he could and knelt on the floor in front of me. He started to run his hands all over me, trying to feel for any injuries.

“Cora, My Kraljica, are you alright? Have you been injured in any way?”, he asked with worry in his voice.

I smiled at him, trying to give him reassurance, “Phineas, please, my love, I am perfectly fine.”, I remembered then how my first battle had gone, I was proud of myself, “I believe I did well for my first fight. I even killed a few men!”, I spoke with adrenaline and excitement in my voice. I felt drunk from the fight.

Phineas smirked, “I believe you killed three men, if I counted correctly. You were most impressive, I could see the fear the in the eyes of the men who were able to witness you.”, he shook his head, “I cannot believe you are real…and mine.”, he said with his eyes burning into mine.

I repeated his words, “I killed three men?”, the excitement coursed through me and my blood started to pulse faster. I felt empowered in a way. I had taken lives with my own hands. Death was something that I needed to get used to if I was going to live life as a pirate, and definitely if I was truly destined to be a Queen. The rush of power filling my body began to morph into desire. I felt a hunger forming in my body, a hunger that needed to be filled.

I looked into Phineas’ eyes as seductively as I could and said, “Phineas, please, take me now, make love to me, I need you.”

He returned my gaze with lust in his eyes, roaming over my body with hunger. He opened the flaps of my ripped skirts and tore the rest of the dress in half. He pulled off my undergarments and stockings along with my boots.  I was left in my chemise and corset.

He looked up at me, still on his knees, “You know, a good fight always leaves me very hungry. I am quite famished.”

He slipped his hands up my thighs and pulled up the fabric of my chemise over my hips, revealing my nether region completely exposed.

I gulped, “W-well if you are hungry…w-would you like me to find you something to eat?”

He laughed and slowly brought his head to the spot between my legs, his warm breath sent chills of pleasure down my spine and I couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

“Thank you, my love, but I have everything I need to quench my hunger here in front of me.”, he said and brought his lips to the sensitive spot between my legs.

His soft lips and his warm breath were teasing me, making my body react with cries of pleasure, “Phineas.”

He responded to my plea by opening his mouth and letting his tongue slip out over my sensitive skin. He started to suck and lick my skin and brought his tongue to my entrance and let it slip inside of me before bringing it back up to that sensitive spot. The feeling was incomparable to any previous love making methods we had done. I was in heaven. That spot he was circling with his tongue was swollen with desire. My insides were about to burst from the pleasure. I could not contain the moans coming out of my mouth, this feeling was too powerful to gain any type of control. I could feel my insides pulsing as I entered my release.

Phineas continued to lick and suck out my insides well after my body relaxed. When he was finally done he took a large gulp before saying, “My Kraljica, you are simply delicious. I may have to make your delicacy a constant in my diet.”  

He had given me so much pleasure and I wanted so much to give the same to him. I let my desire take control of my body. I pulled Phineas up from his collar and pushed him to sit on the bed as I stood at the edge, looking down at him.

“Take it all off.”, I said in a commanding tone, and he obeyed.

As he stripped away his garments I took the time to unlace my corset and shed my chemise, leaving me fully nude. Phineas watched me undress, his desires clearly portrayed in the form of his naked body.

I positioned myself on his lap, my knees on each side of him. As I moved into the right position Phineas took my arse into him palms and helped to guide me over him. He pulled my hips down slowly towards his, and he was inside of me. I knew that being in this position, I would have to be the one making most of the movements. I was going to finally be the one in control.

I started to move my hips up and down, letting myself stretch over his hard skin. Phineas used his hands on my hips to help guide me into a steady rhythm. I brought my hands around the back of his neck and let my fingers dig into the base of his hair, pulling gently to give myself leverage for my movements. I loved being in control, I let my body take control of the movements. I let my head fall back in pleasure, raising my swollen bouncing breasts towards his face.

Phineas caught one of my nipples in his mouth and began to lightly nibble on the tip. A tingle was sent directly into my core, filling me with need. I could feel Phineas tense beneath me, it felt like he was desperately holding something back.

I stopped rocking my hips and looked him in the eyes, “What is wrong? Am I not doing it right?”

He said through gritted teeth, “No, love, you are perfect, more than perfect. Beyond words. I just have so much lust built up within me, my body desperately wants to take you as roughly as I can, I am doing my best to resist.”

He really was holding himself back, I could feel it radiating off his body. It made my desires erupt with need. I wanted him to let go and be his true self with me. I didn’t want him to hold anything back. I wanted to feel his godly rage that he was holding in.

I gently started to move my hips, bringing him slowly in and out of me, teasing him with my weapon. He gritted his teeth and brought his hands to his sides on the bed and gripped the duvet with all his might. I knew that I was making it worse for him, playing with him. And I loved it.

I brought my lips to his ear and took a small nibble of his lobe before I spoke, “Do what you want with me. Be rough, be gentle, hurt me, love me, I want it all. I want you Phineas.”

He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. He grabbed my hips and pulled me against him, he stood up and carried me to the window overlooking the sun setting into the sea. He pushed my back up against the window and started to move in and out of me fast and hard. I wrapped my legs around him and kept my hands laced around his neck.

Then he stopped and lowered me to the ground and spun me around, so I was facing the window. He pushed my upper body into the glass, and my nipples hardened at the cool feeling. Phineas took my hips in his hands and entered me from behind. His movements were rough and fast. I could feel his animalistic need coming out, all his rage and anger from the day was spilling out into me. I relaxed and let him enter me hard and deep, letting him take control over my body.

The passion was so strong, and I suddenly started to shudder with my release. My body convulsed and pulled Phineas into his own release. He was panting heavily. With all the remaining strength he had left in him he picked me up and carried me to the bed, putting both of us under the duvet. We naturally became tangled in one another’s arms and fell into a deep sleep.

 -------------------------

Most of the crew was in the galley, eating supper. The men took turns trading stories from the battle that happened just hours before. They bragged about how many men they had killed and the techniques they had used.

Then the chatter became focused on two main subjects, Captain Tucker and Miss Cora. The men spoke of how great of a warrior their Captain was. He killed men with ease and delicate speed. He had a style that was comparable to no man. But an even more fierce fighter was his beloved Cora.

The crew knew that was her first fight, her first time taking a life. But just in her first battle, she was a natural killer. The grace that she used to move with her dual blades was majestic. She was most certainly a great force to be reckoned with.

The crew looked at Cora with great admiration. She had risked her life to help fight with them, to fight for their Captain. And she was good at it, a true pirate at heart. The discussion was interrupted with the loud cries that the men were now all too used to. Each man secretly desired Cora, especially when they could hear her loud cries of pleasure ringing throughout the ship. She was made of a beauty that no man on board had ever seen. But the men knew they had no chance with her, who could ever compete with the devilishly handsome and brave Captain Tucker?

Lekan was sitting in the corner of the room, listening to each man as they spoke. Kwasi took a seat next to him and brought the spoon to his mouth to eat his supper. After he finished most of his meal he set down his bowl on the table in front of him hard to get Lekan’s attention.

Once Kwasi locked eyes with Lekan he spoke, “You know there something different for her. She have special blood, Lekan.”

Lekan nodded, he knew Kwasi would see it sooner or later, he had a way of knowing things. He spoke in a whisper, “Yes, Jatau is special,”, he motioned to the rest of the crew, “they must not know, they must trust Jatau as I do. As you should.”

Kwasi leaned closer to Lekan and spoke, “You know it hard for me to trust woman Sangomas. In my tribe only man can practice. A women with the gift is evil.”

Lekan gave a puzzled look, “You think she has Sangomas?”

Kwasi nodded deeply, “Yes, no question. I always know.”

Lekan responded, “Kwasi, you must speak to Jatau. She do not know about Sangomas. She did not know she had African until days ago.”

Kwasi looked surprised at this information, he had clearly thought that she was an evil witch who knew all the secrets of black magic. Now he was starting to see that maybe she did not know about the magic she carried in her veins. He nodded to Lekan, agreeing to speak with Cora about her abilities as a Sangomas.


	13. 13

_“Cora.”, a name called in my head, “Cora.”_

_I felt weightless, like I was floating._

_“Cora.”, the voice whispered, “Open your eyes.”_

_I held my eyes shut as hard as I could for a moment before I let them open. As my blurred vision faded away, I was able to see a crystal blue backdrop all around. I looked closer to discover that I was under water. I was in another dream._

_This was the first dream that I had entered since the day Phineas and I got engaged. I had nearly forgotten about them. But I remembered that I wanted to find myself here, I needed answers, or at least some clues on how to obtain those answers._

_I looked down at my body, covered in translucent and iridescent scales. I wish I had a way to see what my entire form looked like, maybe someday I would. Right now, I needed to focus and gather all the information that I could._

_I remembered the voice that urged me to open my eyes. Where had it come from? There was no one around me that I could see, not even any sea creatures or fish. I decided to try and project my thoughts since I couldn’t speak with my mouth._

_“Hello? H-hello? Is anyone there?”, I asked to the emptiness around me._

_I swam around, looking for signs of where I should go or what I should do._

_“Hello?”, I thought again._

_“Cora.”, the voice rang through my head. The woman’s voice sounded familiar to me._

_“Hello? Who are you? Do I know you?”, I asked._

_The voice invaded my mind again, “Yes, Cora. We are old friends. And soon to be family, if I am not mistaken.”_

_I knew then that is was her, “Sedna.”_

_“Yes child, Phineas’ mother.”, she responded with a sense of pride in her voice._

_“Why can I only hear you? Why can’t I see you?”, I thought._

_“Because we are in a dream. You are not really here, and I am not really there.”_

_That just made me even more confused. So, I wasn’t really breathing under water? Did I not really possess any of these abilities? I had never seen them in real life, only ever in my dreams._

_Sedna answered my silent questions for me, “Yes Cora, this is all real. You are destined to be Queen of the Sea, or Kraljica a Teku, as we sea folk will call you. Your powers have not been fully revealed yet, only after your eighteenth birthday can you make the full change into your Goddess form.”_

_“Then, what will happen after my eighteenth birthday? I won’t become Queen right away, will I? I do not know a thing about ruling a kingdom, or the entire ocean for that matter.”_

_Sedna chuckled softly in my head, “No dear child. You will have a long while before you obtain those responsibilities. After your eighteenth birthday you will officially be Princeza a Teku until you are ready for the life as Kraljica. You will have a very long lifetime, much longer than any human. You have the blood of the Gods in your veins, Gods and blood from another form of ancient magical creatures. You were destined for life of Kraljica when your mother and father first met under a Lignum tree.”_

_“A Lignum tree? I was named for the Lignum tree, I never knew the reason why…You mentioned my mother….who was she? What kind of magical blood are you speaking of?”, I asked, trying to get every answer I could from her._

_But she left me with no other answers, “Those are answers you must learn for yourself. The time will come soon. Be patient, enjoy your budding love, and always follow your heart to the sea.”_

_Her voice faded away and left me alone in the blue water, floating in my thoughts._

When I opened my eyes, I could see the sun beginning to rise out of the water and brightening up the blue sky. For once I felt refreshed after waking from one of my dreams. I had been given more answers and clues than I had planned to receive. I just needed to share my new findings with Phineas, so we could try and fit more pieces together.

I turned my head and caught sight of a sleeping Phineas. His long dark hair was laying around his head and pooled over his shoulders. I studied him for a while as he slept. His chest rising and falling with each breath had me hypnotized by his divine beauty. I could swear that the golden tan on his skin contained microscopic flecks of gold. The harder I looked, the more I could see it. He really was descended from the Gods.

I made my way out of the bed and wrapped my blue velvet robe around my shoulders. I made myself busy with the alterations for my new pirate wardrobe. I poked my fingers only a couple times as my hands moved swiftly over the various fabrics before me. I decided to make myself three garments, all with the same design but all different colors. As my fingers worked I was getting more excited for my new clothes. This was the first time that I was permitted to design my garments in any fashion of my choice, and it would be a fashion all of its own. I chose to make the garments a mix between both women’s styles and men’s styles. The trousers were proving a bit tricky for me, I had never attempted to make trousers, and my wide hips did not provide me with any help when it came to the measurements.

I pricked my right index finger and decided that I needed a break. My eyes went to my sleeping God, he looked so serene and at peace. Then I laughed loudly when someone knocked on the cabin door and he shot straight up out of the bed, fully nude with a small dagger in his hand at the ready. He noticed me laughing from across the room and began to relax his stance and let out a long breath.

The knocking started again, “Captain, Miss Jatau, please forgive, I need to speak with you.”

Lekan’s words sounded urgent, but he did not sound as if the situation were dire.

Phineas plopped himself down on the bed and began to pull his undergarments and trousers up his legs, he shouted towards the door “Aye, give me a moment, lad. And send Danny to bring us some breakfast.”

I stood up from my chair and waked to the door to let the large African man into our cabin. He came in and carried a large tray filled to the brim with biscuits, fruit, porridge with potatoes and salted beef, and hot tea. I cleared the table that was covered with scraps of fabric and thread to give room for Lekan to set down the tray. My mind forgot that I missed breakfast, but my stomach was suddenly reminded when it started growling at me to be filled.

Lekan chuckled and handed me a biscuit to nibble on while he set up the table for Phineas and me to eat. Lekan pulled the chair out for me to sit at the table, then proceeded to pour me tea. By the time Lekan set the tea pot down on the table, Phineas was in the seat across from me shoveling porridge into his mouth.

Lekan and I looked at one another and burst with laughter. Phineas briefly looked up at us, but quickly went back to his meal.

“Why are you so hungry this morning, dear?”, I asked him before I brought my cup to my lips, concealing my smile.

Phineas looked up at me and smirked with those soft lips he wore so well.

Lekan cut in jokingly, “Perhaps the Captain should have made time to eat something other than Miss Jatau before retiring for the night.”

The look of shock on my face did not match the amount of shock I felt inside my body. I could not believe Lekan spoke so vulgar in front of me, in front of Phineas. When I looked at Phineas I expected him to be red with anger, but he was lightly laughing at his first mates rude statement.

Then I remembered; these men are pirates, they are used to speaking openly, rarely in the presence of a lady. The words did not bother me, not in the slightest, it was just something that I would need to get used to.

“A-and what, Lekan, may I ask, has led you to believe that I was on the menu last night?”, I said cooly.

The door to the cabin creaked open and Kwasi stepped inside the doorway, “Must not be shy now Miss, all of crew heard your meal, as been every night since Jatau come on the Esmeralda.”

Kwasi? Why was he here? And why was he talking to me so freely? It was the most I had ever heard him speak. I could see that the barrier Kwasi had put up for me was not as strong as it had been before. Was he finally accepting me? Please, I hope so.

“What are you doing here Kwasi?”, Phineas asked.

“To speak with Jatau and the Captain, Captain.”, he bowed his head to Phineas slightly.

I couldn’t hold myself back from speaking, “Jatau, you called me Jatau…Only Lekan calls me by that name, why are you using it for me now?”

He replied, “Is this not what you are?”

I replied vaguely so I didn’t give away our secret, “I am many things, but I also do not fully know who I am.”

His face lit up in a smile, I was surprised at how warm it was for a man who always seemed to be in a dark state, “Aye! Aye, that is why I come to see Jatau.”

I turned to Phineas with my eyebrows arched high above my eyes, his were drawn together, both of us had no idea what Kwasi wanted or what he knew. Lekan motioned for Kwasi to sit at one of the chairs and pulled out one for himself as he sat down.

Phineas turned towards Lekan with anger in his eyes, “What is the meaning of this? What did you tell him Lekan? You swore to keep our secret from the crew.”

Lekan shook his head, his eyes looked slightly sad, “I did not tell any secret. Kwasi told me something about Cora that I did not know, that I know she does not too. I bring him here to help Jatau. You do not need to tell the secret, but I think Kwasi can help.”

Phineas replied, “Help her how?”, then he looked towards Kwasi to start talking.

Kwasi laughed and shrugged his Captain off, then turned towards me and spoke, “Miss Jatau, have you use powers before or made medicine?”

I was caught off guard by his question, was he talking about my Fairymaid powers?

“No, I have never made medicine, and to what powers are you speaking?”

He smiled big, he looked very excited. Like he knew the biggest secret in the world and he was dying to tell it to someone. This man before me was not the same man I met days before.

Kwasi finally spit out his words, “Miss Jatau, you have blood of healer in you, blood of magic. You are Sangomas.”

I remembered when Lekan told me that Kwasi knew the ways of healing and black magic from his family in Africa, but why was he telling me that I was too? Wasn’t the medicine _man_ thing exactly that…a practice for men?

I started laughing, this had to be a joke. I looked to Phineas and saw that he looked deep in thought. He looked up at me and started to study me, like he had on the first day we met.

“Phineas, you don’t seriously believe this, do you?”, I spoke to my fiancé, trying to get him to see reason.

Phineas spoke, “Cora, I think you should hear more of what Kwasi has to say.”, he took a sip of tea and set his cup back down on the table, “I had a dream last night…the voice who spoke to me said that we need to _‘find the other half’_ and something about _‘ancient magical creatures’_ and a _Lignum Tree._ ”

My eyes widened as I remembered my dream with Sedna, “Y-your right Phineas. I had a dream last night too. I spoke with your mother, Sedna. She told me that half of my blood came from an ’ _ancient magical creature’_ and she spoke about the tree too.”

Kwasi cut in, the large smile on his face had faded away, “Sedna? Captain Tucker, your mother is Sedna?”

We all looked at Kwasi, puzzled.

Phineas asked, “You know who Sedna is?”

“I know story. My people tell many stories of Sedna, she always help us with fish.”, he paused and shook his head, “I never thought it was true…but there is story of pact my tribe make with Sedna. She like the powers of the Sangomas, she trade fish for healing medicine and magic. It is said one day blood would unite to create Queen of Sea. She be half Sangomas and half Sea.”

Kwasi looked at me with wide eyes, as if it were the first time he was truly seeing me, “You?”

He shook his head then looked at Phineas, “It was said Queen be married to son of Sedna, together they will rule the sea. You are son of Sedna? You are God of Sea?”, Kwasi looked shocked beyond belief, as if he just found out his father was a chicken.

“Half Sangomas and half sea? Well that explains a lot.”, I looked to Phineas, “But I still don’t understand what a Lignum tree has to do with any of this.”

Phineas replied, “We will find out. I believe I know someone in Nassau who can help. We should reach the harbor sometime this evening.”


	14. 14

We arrived in Nassau later than expected and made port sometime in the early morning. I awoke to the pleasant sound of birds singing and muffled voices from the city people. I slipped on my blue velvet robe and opened the curtains to the large windows at the stern of the ship. Once light filled the room I noticed that Phineas was not present, he would be instructing the crew on their duties while in Nassau.

I poured myself some tea and quickly ate some porridge before getting dressed for the day. Last night I had finished altering my new wardrobe and I was itching to finally wear it. I decided to go with the light blue colored satin garment, hoping the light color would convince the sun to not scorch my skin today.

I just finished tying the laces on my boots when Phineas walked into our quarters. My right leg was lifted on the chair in front of me, accentuating the largest alterations I had made to my dresses. Phineas stopped suddenly and let his mouth hang open in astonishment.

“Oh, hello my love, do you like my new pirate attire? Just look at how easily I can move around now!”, I said and did a slow twirl in front of him to show the rest of my new clothes.

The top part of my dress was pretty much as it had originally come, though I cut the blue satin sleeves to my elbow and added white lace to its hem. The bodice was cut lower, heavily exposing my breasts and the white lace trim of my corset. My skirts were no longer a big poofy mess, not anymore. Now the skirts started on each side of my hips and met in the back coming to the back of my knee. My legs were completely exposed, so I made tight fitted white trousers to cover my skin. The fabric hugged my feminine curves and accentuated my large hips. I wore dark brown leather boots that laced to just below my knee.

I felt tough, like I could move well enough to put up a good fight if it came to it. The lack of skirts was the most important part, I could move my legs freely without getting my skirts caught in every little thing. Another accomplishment my new wardrobe had was the response I was getting from Phineas. He was clearly liking what he saw, my womanly curves would no longer be constantly hidden under yards of useless fabric.

I finished spinning around and said, “So, what do you think?”

Phineas took my hand and pulled me up against his body. He started tracing his hands over my hips and down over my buttocks, then gave it a squeeze that pulled me into him more causing his muscular leg to make firm contact with my groin. I let out a small moan.

“Now how am I going to get any work done with you dressed like this all the time? Seeing this arse,” he squeezed it again, “all day…is going to be very distracting love.”

I chuckled and pulled away to add the last item in my attire, a black leather harness that tied around my trousers and held my twin daggers.

“Aye, your laughing now lass…just wait until the crew sees you. You thought they were infatuated with you before, just wait until they see you now. You are every mans fantasy.”, he said as he continued to eye my curves.

I turned towards him and said, “Please, it is just flesh Phineas.”

“Aye, and you just happen to have the blood of a Goddess running through your veins. Trust me Cora, you are the perfect woman, both physically and intellectually.” He took my hand in his and traced the ring on my finger and it started to glow, “I fall more and more in love with you every day.”

His emerald eyes were burning with love, seeping into my soul and making me feel weak. The feeling of being a tough pirate queen was suddenly gone and replaced with the feeling of molten lava consuming my emotions. It suddenly felt very real to me that this man was all that I had in life, he was everything I ever was and would be. I was suddenly very afraid, afraid of losing Captain Phineas Tucker. This life of mine meant nothing if it wasn’t for him.

Phineas interrupted my thoughts by pulling me in for a kiss, leaving my lips scolded with desire. I felt whole again, no longer depressed with the thoughts of what could be.

I was startled when I heard a throat clearing from the doorway, Lekan was smirking at us, “Excuse me Krajilica, Captain, all is set for departure.”

Phineas let out a loud sigh of disappointment and straightened up his full height and gave me his elbow, “Well my love, shall we embark on our next adventure?”

I took his elbow and together we headed towards the door, “As long as I am next to you, I am ready for anything.”

Lekan took in my attire, eyes slightly bulging, he nearly forgot his typical bow towards me and the Captain but was able to bring himself back to normal with a small shake of his head. As we walked out on the balcony above the main deck, the crew who were still on board all slowly brought their eyes to us, to me I assumed.

“I told you so.”, Phineas snickered in my ear.

I chuckled but kept my head up and acted as though the stares didn’t bother me. I was used to being stared at due to my already unique appearance, I could put up with this. I was meant to be a queen after all and would need to be used to attention.

Phineas led me off the Esmerelda and onto the port of Nassau. The port was busy, and I could see the town crowded with people just up the hills to our left. As we made our way into the town, it became very clear to me that Captain Phineas Tucker had made himself quite the reputation in the Caribbean. Everywhere we went men, and even some women, would greet him with happy spirits and give their well wishes. I felt this was an unusual response for the people to give a pirate captain.

We went into a small shop that sold clothing and accessories. There was a little old woman in the front dressing a mannequin in a red silk ball gown. Once the door clicked closed she called out, “Welcome to Lucile’s, all new fashions are in the front, all older fashions are on sale and located in the back.”

“And what about custom orders for your colleague and old friend?”, Phineas said with a smile.

The woman turned sharply, and a small squeal left her mouth, “Oh Phineas, you’re here! I have been expecting you, your men brought the new shipment in just this morning. Quite an exquisite collection if I may say.”

He smirked, “Aye, that it is. Though nothing compares to your original designs Madam Pearson.”

Her eyes closed to slits and a sly smile came over her lips, “True, true. You want something custom you say? And just what are you looking for exactly?”, she noticed me on Phineas’ arm and looked me up and down, taking in my trousers and tight clothing, “If you are looking for something different, I dare say you have it right next to you.”

Madam Pearson came closer to me and studied my clothing more closely, “My dear, whoever did you hire to create this for you? The stitching is nearly prefect. I have never seen such fashion for women.”

I smirked, “It is an original, and I did the stitching myself.”

She was shocked, and looked towards Phineas, “What would you do that for? Why would a woman need to wear trousers? Phineas who is this woman?”

He couldn’t contain his laughter, “Madam Pearson, may I present Miss Coraline Ashton, my fiancé and the woman who forever holds my heart.”, he shook his head slightly, “As for her attire, I myself can condone it’s usefulness and high function while in combat. Cora here needed suitable clothing to live our pirate lifestyle.”

Madam Pearson’s lips went into an “oh” shape, she was momentarily speechless. But then her motherly instincts took over and she started to scold Captain Tucker, “Phineas, how dare you bring a lady into such a life! It would be more proper if you bought her a home on the island and gave her a comfortable lifestyle like all the other sea wives. Battles and raids are not suitable for a lady!”

Phineas let out a slow breath and looked into Madam Pearson’s eyes with the sincerest look on his face, “Madam, Cora belongs on the sea. She grew up on the sea, and in the sea is where I found her. She chose this life all on her own, I just love her all the more for it.” His emerald eyes were slightly glowing and put Madam Pearson under his spell, she was entranced and bashfully agreed with him by nodding her head.

She came to me and took one of my hands, the one with my engagement ring. As she pulled my hand closer to her face she said, “Well my dear, I dare say you do look like you could hold your own, I just pray that your extraordinary beauty does not diminish from the life of piracy.”

I replied lightly, “That, I believe, is the very least of my problems.”

She nodded, “I dare say that is correct.”, she motioned towards Phineas, “Especially for you to be marrying this lot. I congratulate you, Miss Ashton, you have achieved what so many others have tried to snag up in these parts for quite some time.”, then she winked at me.

My eyebrows shot up, I was stunned. Of course, every woman who had ever been in Captain Tucker’s presence had been infatuated with him. He was literally a God. But a God needed only a Goddess, and that was me. I truly felt I had nothing to worry about, he would never stray away from me. But, how many hearts did he leave broken before me? Phineas just stood in the corner with a smirk on his face, slowly shaking his head.

Madam Pearson giggled and said, “So I suppose you have come to see me for a wedding dress then?”, she turned towards Phineas, “When will the ceremony take place?”

Phineas cleared his throat and spoke in his low voice, “Aye, we will be wed in precisely 22 days. But we will need to leave in precisely 12 days from now to reach the destination of our ceremony in time.”

“Our what? Phineas where are we going?”, I asked curiously.

“Nonsense, you two will wed here. You know over half the town would be present for your nuptials, you have been a godsend to them.”, Madam Pearson said while starting to pull out bolts of fabric from a closet.

Phineas replied, “I am sorry Madam, but the location of our ceremony is not up for discussion.”, he turned towards me and said in a softer voice, “It is imperative that we are in the precise location for our nuptials.”, Then he turned back to Madam Pearson’s and said, “When we return we can have a ceremony for the entire town, but I have something truly special planned for our true union.

Madam Pearson let out a heavy sigh and slumped her shoulders in defeat, “Alright Captain Tucker, but you know the townspeople will not be happy about this. Though I do think it is very sweet of you to steal your bride away to elope. I just wish you so much happiness.”

“Thank you, Madam.”, Phineas leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

She turned back towards me and took my hand to pull me towards a fitting room in the back of the store, “Come we must take your measurements and chose fabric. I think we should go with a blue, no maybe silver and white would go best.”

Phineas called towards us, “You ladies have fun. I will return shortly for Miss Ashton, I have some business around town that I must attend to.”

I turned and blew him a kiss, ready to start the design for my wedding dress with Madam Pearson.


	15. 15

After my first fitting with Madam Pearson, Phineas took me to an Inn down the street for lunch. We were shown into a private parlor with mountains of different food offerings. I made myself a plate of different delicacies, enjoying each individual flavor. After eating a diet of only coconuts and then a week of porridge, salted meats, potatoes, and stale bread this was a meal fit for royalty.

Phineas made a small plate of rice with beans and some sort of red sauce with seafood and placed it in front of me. Here, try this. Some local delicacies… be careful it can be rather spicy. I took a taste of the dish and my mouth was exploding with flavor. Phineas what right when he said it had a spice, my mouth felt like it was burning, but I enjoyed it.

I didn’t have to voice my reaction to the food, once I went back for more it was clear that I liked it. After a few more bites my mouth was really starting to burn, I desperately needed water. I started coughing and reached for my cup of water, only to find it empty. My eyes went wide as searched the room for some liquid to tame the flames on my tongue. I had been so distracted that I hadn’t heard anyone enter the room.

“Here, let me help you miss.”, a woman’s voice said from my left.

I turned to find a beautiful young lady pouring wine into a cup for me. She came closer to me and handed me the cup.

“Wine will dull the spices better than water, water makes it burn even worse if you can imagine it.”, she said and turned towards Phineas to fill up his cup.

I took a gulp of the wine and felt my taste buds instantly start to cool. Once I drank my fill I set my cup down on the table and took a moment to study the woman before me. She was very slender but had perky breasts that drew a lot of attention. Her face was heart shaped and her dark brown hair was up in a messy bun. Her skin was a warm vanilla that brought out the warm brown color of her eyes. She moved with grace and confidence. She was clearly a woman who helped men explore their fantasies.

“Thank you miss Grace, it seems you have saved my fiancé from the torture of Caribbean spices.”, Phineas spoke before taking a large gulp of his own cup.

The woman turned to me and eyed me up and down before saying, “So this is the fiancé that everyone has been talking about. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Ashton, you are a very very lucky woman.”, she went down in a small courtesy then turned towards Phineas and spoke in a sultry voice, “The bath you asked to have drawn up is in the next room. Please let me know if there is any other way I may assist you.”, she finished by resting her hand lightly on his shoulder.

Her words and her actions enraged me. She was coming on to my fiancé right in front of me, just who did she think she was? I could feel fire burning in the pit of my body, rage and anger were starting to cloud over my senses. There was something buried in my body in my anger, fighting to get out. But it felt dangerous, so I fought to contain myself and spoke with gritted teeth.

“Excuse me miss, but I believe you misunderstand your place. If you would kindly remember, Captain Tucker is an engaged man now, to me I might add. He will no longer be requiring your, oh what shall I call it, services…”

She gasped and pulled her hand back from Phineas’ shoulder, clearly not expecting me to hold my ground so fiercely, “I am sorry Miss Ashton, I did not mean to offend you.”, she looked towards the ground and spoke again, “I apologize. Please Miss Ashton if there is anything I may get for you do not hesitate to ask.”

She cowered out of the room with a tray of dirty dishes and the door clicked shut behind her. Once she was gone Phineas started to chuckle.

“Well well you certainly put her into her place.”, he said and took another bite of his food.

There was still anger built inside me, but not just anger, jealousy. He clearly had a past with lots of women before me, and I was not happy about it. I stood in place with my arms crossed over my chest, sending imaginary daggers from my eyes into the back of his head.

He turned towards me and took in my rigged stance, “What is it?”

I spat out with fire, “You have been with her, haven’t you?”

His eyes widened in fear, and I knew the truth right there, “What?”

“Phineas tell me the truth.”

His eyes turned to glass, clearly fearing what my reaction would be to his response, “Yes, I have.”

I knew it! I knew it was all too good to be true, this god of a man could never fully be mine. I spun to the right and walked to the window and looked out into the warm tropical view, cursing its majestic beauty when I felt so much rage within my soul.

“Bloody Hell! How many others have there been? It seems as though everyone has had a piece of the infamous Captain Phineas Tucker. It seems there would hardly be any left over for me, the woman who is only destined to be your wife.”, the pain hit my chest like lightning. A single tear rolled down my cheek. I felt afraid again, afraid for my uncertain future.

Suddenly a pair of large golden hands were on my arms, the touch took away all my dark thoughts and left my heart filled with love again. Just one touch from him and he pulled away all the bad inside my soul.

He spoke softly into my ear, “Coraline, I am so sorry that I have hurt you. I never thought my past actions would cause you to feel this pain.”, he spun me to face him and pulled my chin up with his fingers to look into his eyes, “I have had relations with a number of women, many who inhabit this island. I was so alone for a long time, and I had started to think that you would never come to me, that everything my mother had promised me was just a lie. I fell into a dark place. But then, you appeared and have turned my world upside down. You have been the shining light in my darkness.”

He kissed my tears away from my cheeks and pulled me into a tight embrace, “I promise to you that I will never hurt you like that again. You are the only woman that I will ever love, ever touch, ever hold. I promise to be forever faithful to you, you are my destiny Cora, no one else will ever matter to me more than you. You are goddess of the sea and are therefore the goddess of my heart.”

My tears started to dry and left my face stinging. I raised my head and let his lips caress mine for a sweet kiss. I knew he loved me, that he would die for me and cross the world for me if need be. The past was the past and I needed to find the strength within me to push my jealous feelings away and out of my soul.

“Now what do you say to a bath? I dare say it has been a while since I have had a proper cleansing.”, he said with a seductive smile and led me to the door at the back of the room.

Once inside I was presented with the largest tub that I have ever seen. You could fit probably 6 people in it. The water was topped with pink frothy bubbles that were producing a sweet floral scent. I suddenly felt very dirty and was longing to soak in the bubbles. If Phineas hadn’t begun to unlace my bodice I would probably have forgotten to take my clothing off before jumping into the water.

We must have spent over an hour in the warm silky bubbles, taking turns washing the other and making love slowly in the water. I took my time to wash every inch of his long dark hair and comb out all the tangles, he in turn washed my braids and coated them in a sweet oil that he had acquired from Lekan. The water was beginning to cool and the bubbles had all faded away. We helped one another dry and dress.

As I was lacing up my boots I asked, “So the town seems to be very adoring towards you. I know why the ladies praise you, but what about all the men and children?”

Phineas was styling his hair in the vanity to pull it back out of his face, “Oh I have just helped a lot of them out in many situations. The East India Trading company has been taxing the people here more and more and making it harder for the town to thrive. I do my part and find ways to pay the taxes, or to convince the British to leave families alone, at least temporarily.”

My heart was touched with the kindness this man held in his heart, “So you fight for the people, you protect them. You really were born to be a protector.”, I came behind him and placed my hands on his shoulders, “I think you will be a good protector and ruler for the ocean in our future. Whenever we learn what that really means.”

He smiled, and his happiness could be seen in his eyes, “That brings me to our next order of business.” He stood and put on his Green Velvet jacket and matching hat, “We have a Voodoo man to visit.”

My eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, “Voodoo?


	16. 16

We were unable to meet with the mysterious Voodoo man that day, he was apparently busy with a ritual and would be locked in his home for a few days. Phineas booked us a room at the Inn, granting us some privacy away from the crew aboard the Esmerelda. Miss Grace, whom I had come to calling by her first name Margaret, had taken her defeat well and was soon becoming a welcome tea time companion. She was the first woman close to my age that was minorly interesting. Sure, she still talked about all the girly things like silks, the Royal Court, and minor gossip from around town. But she also had other interests such as cooking, and distilling rum. She had started making her own rum for sale, it had become an instant hit with the local tavern and the many passing sailors stopping in when they made port.

She had been working at the Inn since she was eight years old. Once she turned fourteen and started to attract the male eye, she started to sell herself for profit. But Margaret didn’t seem to have any ill feelings towards her prostitution, it seemed to boost her confidence even more. The couple who ran the Inn treated her somewhat as a daughter they never had and helped her fund the start of her rum making, helping her purchase sugarcane from a nearby plantation. She had dreams of distilling her own rum and creating different flavors of spiced rum for sale. Though she still had a long way to go, she was clearly very well off.

Whenever Phineas was brought into conversation I could see Margaret’s cheeks flush pink. I was jealous, but I also had to take the upper hand. He was destined to be mine, after all. But she had also opened her heart to him in the past and he did not return her feelings. And now the man who’s heart had been impenetrable was getting married to the woman who was visibly different from all others who had come before, me.

“You know, he always used to talk about you whenever we would start to get close.”, she said with some sadness in her tone, “We were never anything real, it was only physical for him. I always asked why he wouldn’t open his heart to me, and it was always because of you Miss. He was waiting for you to come into his life. He always said he was destined for someone truly special’, a ‘woman so magical that her true beauty lies within her soul’. I was always so confused, why couldn’t I be this special woman he was supposedly destined to be with. But I see you, and I know that woman he has been waiting for is you. I can see it in the way he looks at you, you really have pulled him out from the darkness and into your light.”

Her words brought tears to my eyes, but I refused to let them spill. He really had been waiting for me for all that time. Oh, how lonely he must have been, shutting his true self out from the world alone for so long. My heart began to ache for Phineas.

On our third day in Nassau, Phineas decided it was time to begin combat training again. This time I did much better, having not being tied up from my old heavy skirts. My footwork was fluid, and I learned that I was rather fast with my movements. More than once I caught Phineas off guard and caused him to stumble to the ground.

We took a break and went to the gazebo behind the Inn for some shade and water. Lekan and Kwasi were with us. Margarete came out and offered everyone a cup of her latest spiced rum recipe.

“You fight well Jatu Krajilica. In Africa you would be considered great warrior.”, Lekan complimented me with a smile and took a sip of rum.

Margaret asked, “What does Krajilica mean? I’ve heard you call Miss Ashton that word a few times now.”

Kwasi cut in, ignoring Margaret’s curiosity, “Yes she a good fighter, but Jatu could never be warrior in tribe.”

I turned towards Kwasi, astonished by his forward remark, “And why not?”

He looked at me straight on, “Because woman do not fight so can not be warrior.”, he sniffed the rum in his cup then placed it down on the table with a sour look. “Why does white man make everything sweet?”

I laughed lightly and brushed off Kwasi’s remark. At least he was treating me with respect, which was more than I could have hoped for from the uptight man.

Margarete cut in again, “You called her ‘jatu’ too, will any of you tell me what it means?”

Phineas turned towards Margarete, “It means ‘white’ or ‘light skinned’.”

Margaret nodded in agreement, “Oh yes, a very fitting term for Miss Ashton then. She does have the most lovely pale skin and white blonde hair. Though I do not understand why you would wear your hair in those braids. Sure, they are pretty, but they aren’t very feminine, are they?”

Phineas cut in before I could respond, “I think they suit her rather well, very fitting for her fiery personality.”, he took a swig of his wine and looked out into the horizon, “And they are very nice to hold onto.”, his eyes met mine and gave me a wink.

Margaret had a quizzical look on her face, “I do suppose that could prove to be useful in the bedroom.”, she turned to me and said with a smirk, “So now I know your secret for nabbing the Captains heart!”, and we laughed out loud together with Phineas chuckling silently beside us.

Lekan rolled his eyes and dropped his head back. Kwasi was slightly fidgeting in his seat, visibly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had gone. Margret started stacking diches on a tray to clear them away. She noticed my cup was almost empty and filled it to the brim with rum with a little wink.

The sun was beaming down, and the humidity was stifling. I rather enjoyed Margret’s rum and may have drank it down a little faster than I should have. I quickly started to feel the effects of the alcohol running in my veins. Phineas noticed my new inebriated state and offered me his arm for a slow stroll around the gardens.

The garden was not small, but it was not very much of a garden either. It mainly consisted of cut down jungle with some tall trees in random places. Phineas led me very slowly around the grounds of the garden to help be gain some sobriety. I had been drinking at least one cup of rum per day since he had first presented it to me, but the rum Margret gave me was clearly stronger than I had expected.

I stumbled a few times and always found Phineas’ arms around my frame to catch and steady me. After a few minutes my body started to welcome the exercise and worked through the toxins in my blood. Though I was still indeed intoxicated, the world was no longer spinning around me and I could more easily comprehend my thoughts.

Phineas held me close to him, “When we get back we will make sure to get some water and food into you. Miss Grace must have given us one of her stronger batches.”

I laid my head down on his shoulder lightly and took in a deep breath. Right here in this moment, I felt complete safety. Like no matter what trouble I could possibly get into, this man would always be there to protect me. Soon we were reaching the back of the garden where there were some trees with dark green waxy leaves and small purple flowers. The largest one in the middle was nearly 25 feet tall and must have been nearly 15 feet in diameter. As soon as I saw the trees I felt a pull in my chest, pulling me towards them.

I looked at Phineas, he must have felt something too because he was staring intently at the trees before us, determination in his eyes. Once we got to the edge of the trees I could see just how many purple flowers there were. From afar it there looked to be only a few, but upon close inspection there were hundreds of little purple flowers everywhere buried beneath the leaves.

I reached my hand out to touch one of the flowers but suddenly stopped when I was startled by Phineas gasping behind me, “Cora! Your skin!”

I looked back towards my outstretched arms and studied my skin. There was a rainbow iridescent sheen glowing over my skin. I looked down towards my chest and found it there too. I looked back towards Phineas to ask him if it was on my face, when I was struck by his instant change of appearance. His tanned skin had been transformed into a glowing combination of gold with little specs of green. His eyes were that green molten fire, and his hair looked like it had a slight green glow to it. I had never seen anything more beautiful. My thoughts drifted to the thought of what all of his skin would look like without his layers of clothes on. Yet another time when clothing was getting in my way!

Phineas spoke before I could, “Cora, you…I don’t know what to say…you are so beautiful.” He paused for a moment and came closer to me, examining my new features, “Your skin is glowing like pearls in the moonlight, and your hair is shining like crystals…but most of all...Cora, your eyes. They are like glowing opals burning white with slivers of blue, green, gold, and purple.”, he knelt down in front of me, “you truly are a goddess, my love.”

I was speechless, Did I really look as he described? How was this possible? All I could muster to say at that moment was, “How?”

Phineas broke his stare from me and looked towards the trees next to us, “It must be the trees….these are Lignum Vitae.”

My eyes widened in wonder, I had so many unanswered questions. What did this tree have to do with me, and the sea, and these changes I was having? What would I become, and when? I knew almost nothing of my history and nothing about the truth of the magical blood that was coursing through my veins. What would become of me, what would be expected of me? Queen of the Sea sounds like a huge responsibility, why me?

I took Phineas’ hand in mine and said, “I need answers my love. What is to be expected of me, of us? It is not just me that looks different, you do as well. Your skin is glowing golden and your hair looks green with you burning green eyes. I have always seen the God in you, but your true form, if that’s what this is, is incredibly intoxicating.”, I licked my lips and traced his hand with my fingers.

Phineas couldn’t stand the short distance between us any longer and pulled me into a kiss, I was happy to go along with this notion. My hands started to roam up his body and ended on his hard chest, heaving with heavy breaths. Phineas pulled my hips away from him with his hands and broke our kiss.

“We must stop, or I will not be able to stop. We can not go anywhere looking like this. Cora come, we need to go see Cudjo as soon and possible.”

He took my hand and started to pull me away from the trees, “Who is Cudjo?”, I asked.

With each step further away from the trees, our appearances gradually went back to normal. Phineas turned to me and looked relieved that we did not look so magical as we had just moments ago.

He let out his breath and said, “Cudjo is the Voodoo man whom I have been trying to meet with. I am tired of waiting, we will go there now a demand that he speaks with us!”

I put my arm on his shoulder, “Are you quite certain you want to disrupt his business Phineas? The changes wore off as soon as we stepped away.”

He paused and looked at me quizzically, “Are you not at all curious as to the reasoning that all of this is happening? Mother told you that we had to find the answers out on our own, and we only have eight more days left before we make sail for our wedding. There is no more time to lose.”

I gave him a gentle smile and took his hands in mine, “Thank you, my love, for always looking out for my best interests. I have never had so much change in my life and go so fast paced. I have so many unanswered questions that I don’t even know where to begin to find the truths to anything that is going on. The only thing I know for sure that is true is you, so anywhere you want to go, I will be right there by your side. Lead the way to our destiny.”


	17. 17

The carriage we were seated in was extravagant to say the least, made from a mahogany wood with green velvet dressing the inside from floor to ceiling. Crystal embellishments adorned the cushions and lamps both inside and out of the carriage. We had been riding for nearly an hour, the dirt road causing us to bump about with each small ditch and crevice we hit on the path. This ride was soon turning rougher than I had been used to from traveling on the seas, I knew my arse would most likely be sore in the outcome of this journey.

“This Cudjo better have answers for us, my arse is really starting to ache in places I did not think possible.”, I said through gritted teeth as the carriage bumped on.

Phineas’ eyebrow shot up, “How surprising, since I seem to recall you have quite a bit of padding to help you fare our journey.”

I turned my nose in the air, “Ah! Are you calling me large Captain?”

He smirked and gave me that sensual smile that made my insides start to flutter, “No madam, I am simply referring to an area of yours that I find to be one of your most tempting features. I dare say, you do have the most voluptuous and mouthwatering arse. Just thinking about it makes me want to ravage you right here in this very dwelling. Why I am tempted to lift your skirts and take you this very moment.”

My cheeks flushed with heat and desire, “Well then, why don’t you?”, I said in the most temping voice I could muster.

He pursed his lips and fell down to his knees in front of me then proceeded to run his hand up my leg, “Well for one, since you have started wearing these trousers your lady bits are far more troublesome to get to.”, he brought his hands to my waist and lightly squeezed my hip bones making my insides melt at his touch, “Second, we have arrived at our destination and I do not think Lekan and Kwasi would like to be kept waiting in this blazing jungle heat.”

I was so aroused that I had not even noticed the carriage had stopped its hazardous bumping around. Phineas laughed at me and left a light kiss on my lips before opening the door and letting in the light from the bright afternoon sun.

As I stepped out of the carriage I was momentarily blinded by the bright light. Once my eyes adjusted, I was able to fully see our destination, a large shack that was built from thin bark and heavy waxed leaves. It looked very much like the place that would house the type of man whom we had journeyed to see. As we came closer towards the entrance a small dark man, with skin nearly black as coal, came through the entrance. His eyes were soft and weathered and seemed to show just how much knowledge he had come to learn over his long lifespan. His skin was wrinkled and loose over his thin frame, but he walked with the spirit of a man who had great youth still left in him.

At first, he said nothing, just motioned for us to follow him into his hut. Phineas took my arm and urged me into the dwelling that looked as if it could come crashing down with a strong wind. Once we entered, I felt a strange sensation come over my body, as if the walls itself were welcoming me and making my shoulders relax with comfort. The air smelled of sweet spices from whatever herbs were being burned in small basins placed around the room. There were large masks painted with various faces hanging on the walls, each one seemed to be telling a story. I felt at peace here, almost like I was at home somehow.

“Karjilica! Captain!”, Lekan gasped in shock.

I turned towards the first mate and was surprised to see his eyes widened in awe. Kwasi had an equally stunned looked planted on his face. I looked towards Phineas and realized why they two men has been in such a surprised state. Phineas was back in his magical appearance with his glowing golden green skin and green tinged long locks of hair. I could only assume that my appearance had changed as well. Kwasi spoke something inaudible in his native tongue and fell to his knees on the dirt before us.

“Get up you bloody fool.”, Phineas ordered his crewman, but Kwasi continued to bow before us and whisper what seemed to be a prayer of sorts.

I couldn’t help it, I just had to laugh. It was hilarious to me that just weeks ago this man was so weary and against my presence and now he was on his knees before me like I was some sort of God. Oh, well I suppose I was a Goddess so maybe it wasn’t that ridiculous.

“Please Kwasi, do get up. As amusing as your behavior is to me, I cannot let you continue to praise me as you are, it is a bit ridiculous.”, I spoke while trying to contain my laughter.

Kwasi did not meet my gaze but did as I had asked and stood up to take his place beside Lekan, “Yes Krajilica, I do anything you ask, anything.”

The voodoo man came close to Phineas and I and began to examine us, though he did not seem at all surprised as the other two men in the room had. First, he took in the sight of Phineas but quickly turned his attention towards me, “Ye are Kirjilica a Okean, I be waiting many year ta speak to ya. I once had a dream when I was young man, a woman of the okean make me know ye existence. She warn me ta help ya best I can. Many year I prepare to help Krajilica. I make home out of Lignum tree to help ya feel welcome. It is under lignum tree ye show true self when not in da sea. It is great honor dat ya come ta me home.”, he spoke with such warmth and comfort that I couldn’t help but instantly take a liking to the old man.

I reached my hand towards him and took his papery hand within mine, “Please, the honor is mine. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. May I call you Cudjo?”

His smile widened and showed the many years he had lived in his wrinkled skin, “Ya please do Krajilica.”

“Please, call me Cora. Krajilica sounds too formal.”

Cudjo merely smiled and slightly nodded his head before he led us all to a small sitting area in the back of the room filled with large cushions, we each took a seat as he prepared a tea that smelled of jasmine and something that resembled mint. The tea was very strong but slightly sweet to the taste and danced over my taste-buds that seemed to warm my soul. I noticed that Kwasi and Lekan kept looking at myself and Phineas, clearly still in shock towards our colorful appearances. I couldn’t blame them, I myself kept making glances towards Phineas, taking in his Godly golden and green beauty.

Cudjo took a seat across from myself and Phineas and slowly sipped his tea. My mind was racing with questions for him. What was I meant to do? Did he know what my destiny would hold? Could I really live and breathe in the ocean as some sort of mermaid, as a Queen? What did all of this mean? Why me? But the old man must have somehow sensed all I was wanting to ask before I could even from any of the words on my lips.

“Ye must ’ave many questions but let me jus tell ya what I know. I know not everyting, I do know some and may be some help to ya both.”

Cudjo spoke of the dreams that visited him over the years, and we were able to come to the conclusion that the woman who had visited him all those years was Phineas’ mother, Sedna. Just as she had visited my very dreams since childhood. She helped Cudjo in his studies and knowledge about her son and his future Queen. It had been determined since before either Phineas or I were born that we would rule the oceans together one day. With me as Queen and Phineas as my eternal protector and partner. Though he was meant to be my husband and a God of the seas, he would not be seen as the King for there would always only be one ruler of the ocean either a King with a Goddess to protect and guide him or a Queen with a God as protector and guide. Not at all like the typical rulers around the world on land. Every three hundred years a new God or Goddess would take over the throne, and the old King or Queen would transcend into what Cudjo described as eternal light with their partner. My heart lightened at the knowledge that I would be granted the gift of spending such a long period of time with Phineas by my side.

Once were wed we would be able to take our true form and live below the seas such as the legends of mermaids and sea creatures around the world. But it would be years before I would be placed on the throne of the ocean, fifteen years to be exact. This would give me the time I needed to learn the values of my future responsibilities as Queen and Goddess of the sea. I was relieved to hear this, especially since I did not feel at all ready to be thrust upon any sort of throne any time soon, more so, one that ruled over such a large space of the world.

Cudjo seemed to believe that once Phineas and I were revealed to our full powers after our union, we would be able to control our appearances when around the magic in the Lignum trees, so we would not risk giving away our secrets to those whom we did not want to know. The Lignum Viate trees were created over 700 years ago by a Queen of the ocean. She had used her magic to create the trees to help provide a source of magic to beings who were blessed with powers of living both in the sea and on land. There was a large race around the world of creatures who could take form both in and out of the sea, those beings were the source of the various legends of mermaids and sirens that were passed down through stories throughout the world. They would in time become the beings that I would rule over when I am named as Queen. Cudjo said that each land had a form of tree or plant that would help restore powers to those who possessed the gifts of the sea. The plants took different forms in every continent, but the Lignum was by far the most powerful and held great powers that he said had not fully been discovered by any creature man or God.

He also revealed that if I was ever to be injured or brought to the point of death, Phineas would reap the same consequences. Though if Phineas was hurt in some way I would not receive the same injuries, but if he was brought to the point of death, I too would be caught in the same demise. Once married, one cannot live in the world without the other. As he revealed our fate, the stones on our rings started to pulse with light, as if verifying the information, we were given.

Phineas took my hand and I could feel the love radiating from his touch, causing my heart to pulse with warmth. Though we did not learn much, it was more than we had known before. Not all of our questions had been answered but it seemed that in time they would be. We left the Voodoo mans home just as night was beginning to fall. As we exited the hut our glowing appearances faded and left us with our human form. We rode into the evening back towards our temporary home at the Inn.


End file.
